Aug. 11th 2018

Responsibility,

the word responsibility, holds so much meaning within it.

Everyone has different responsibilities,

different jobs have different responsibilities,

different cultures have different views of what responsibility means, who holds responsibility.

Parents have the responsibility of taking care of their kids.

Doctors have the responsibility of healing their patients,

the list goes on and on.

In this day and age, the fundamental meaning of this word--responsibility--has changed drastically.

We as a society have redefined what responsibilities mean in terms of men and women.

As a global community, we have redefined what responsibility means, as we help each other when disasters happen, regardless of race or religion.

Responsibility.

One of the first responsibilities many of us had as a child was to determine when we wanted to go to the bathroom.

Though this may seem like a simple task now, it was our responsibility to inform our mothers and fathers, that we needed to go to the bathroom.

And if we didn't, then we were at fault for not recognizing our need to go.

 As we grow, our responsibilities grow with us.

We become responsible for other people’s lives when we are in a car driving.

We become responsible for our taxes, our bills, and the paying them our time.

We become responsible for our jobs and to what we have to do in them.

And ultimately we become responsible for our actions and their consequences on others, whether they were intentional or non-intentional.

Responsibility.

So why is it that when it comes to our communities, we forget our responsibility to them?

If we are active, or even non-active members to our community, shouldn't we be responsible for what happens in our them, for what we allow to happen in our communities?

Should we not be held accountable for our actions in this case, similar to how a young child is held accountable for having an accident.

Yet we allow people to infiltrate others communities, to bring drugs, violence, and chaos into these them. Why do we allow this to happen?

Why does it take so long for us to hold those accountable for their actions in destroying our communities?

The health of a community is vital for the development of the children that live them

Yet we neglect them.

We allow companies to pump drugs into the veins of our youth,

into the adults that need a helping hand, who just want someone to care

We as members of this community must do something, whether it be small or large, we cannot continue to sit and neglect our community.

Because the well-being of future communities is at stake.

 We must meet the needs of today without diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

We must preserve and help our communities to prevent them from reaching rock bottom, to give them a chance to rebuild for the benefit of those after us.

So reach out to various organizations in our communities, volunteer, spend time learning about a different kind of people—your neighbor. And if you don’t have time, provide some financial support to keep organizations running

But don’t be passive, do not allow outside groups negatively impact your neighborhood,

Because at the end of the day, it is your neighborhood too

Do something, whether it be small or large, take ownership, take responsibility of your neighborhood and your community.