Responsibility in Actions

The one thing that we can control in our lives is our personal reactions to the events occurring around us. Do we stand up and speak up about abuse, or sit back as our best friend turns down an offer of a lifetime? We are responsible for our actions. We must take control and stand up for what we believe to be morally right. All throughout history there have been incidents of leaders taking initiative and standing up for what they believe in. Conversely, there have also been moments of weakness; cowards whom don’t speak up, passer-bys who don’t stop to report a crime, or help a victim. These moments do not define the person at fault, but rather emphasize the importance of the brave ones who do stay with the victim, who do call 911, who take a stand.

            One Significant Transcendentalist Philosopher, Henry David Thoreau,  showed responsibility when he denied support of a war that was, in his mind, immoral. Thoreau was asked to pay a poll tax that supported the Mexican American War, but because the war was a ploy to gain territory in the South, allowing slavery to thrive, Thoreau refused.  This is a classic example of responsibility. It was Thoreau’s moral obligation to refuse to pay the poll tax because he did not believe in what it supported. If he had paid the poll tax because the government told him to then this would be an example of cowardice.

Another instance of responsibility can be seen in Eugene V. Debs’s speech against World War I. Although he knew that he would be arrested due to the Sedition Act. He believed that it was his moral duty to speak up about the injustice of the World War. He advocated for the common people to have the right to declare war or peace. Although Debs went to prison for his speech he was responsible in doing so because he took action against his suppressor.  In fact he was able to run for presidency while he was in prison.

            While there are many situations where people show their responsibility and maturity, there are also plenty of cowardice moments in history. Everyone has a flaw, even the people in the Bible. Pontius Pilate’s weakness in the face of a rioting mob calling for Jesus' death, even though he knew of his innocence is the ultimate show of cowardice. Although Pilate had the power to set Jesus free, his fear of insurrection prevented him from making the right moral choice. Cowardice appears to be one of the main themes of many pieces of literature, and society. So maybe the human race as a whole are guilty of it? And if we are all guilty of cowardice, then we must all be guilty of responsibility at times as well because you cannot have one without the other.

            With such chaos going on in our lives, we should control the one thing we have authority over: our actions. The way we respond and learn can define your life. You learn from your and others’ mistakes, however, so cowardice is essential in developing responsibility and bravery in society.