Take Responsibility for Your Own Actions

I am growing increasingly tired of people blaming others for their problems. It makes no sense to me that they cannot simply face the consequences of their own behavior without having to place blame.

There are people who are so busy throwing blame around that they never have a chance to learn or grown from their mistakes. There are thirty and forty year old adults still blaming their parents for everything that is wrong in their lives. If it happens that they can't afford to pay their bills, it is because their parents didn't teach them how to manage money. If they turn out not to be good parents themselves, it isn't their fault. It is because their parents spanked them or didn't encourage them enough. When they have trouble finding a good job, they blame their parents for not forcing them to go to college. It seems that no matter what ails them, they can find a way to blame their parents, or at least someone other than themselves. I have to wonder how long they can continue to justify blaming their upbringing for all their shortcomings. At what age does it become their responsibility?

Parents whose high school children can't read or write blame the school. They are not willing to allow for the possibility that it could be, at least partially, their own fault. Where were they and what were they doing when the child was in elementary school? Maybe if they had been paying attention, reading to the child, and letting the child read to them, they would have noticed that there was a problem.

Even worse, there are criminals blaming society because they commit heinous crimes. They commit robbery because somehow society prevents them from finding a job. They are, therefore, forced to steal. Some commit rape because the victim was wearing a short skirt or a low cut blouse. It's her fault; she asked for it.

Someone murders another human being, but it isn't his/her fault. It's because their parents got a divorce when they were young, or they had a parent who went to prison. Some of these people even try to blame it on God!

There are countless excuses to be made for everything from minor infractions to rape and murder, and a scapegoat can always be found. But I have to hope that one day these people will learn to take responsibility for themselves and for their own behavior.

I also hope that some day the world will stop accepting excuses and start holding people accountable for their actions.