THE CONSEQUENCE OF IRRESPONSIBILITY.
An example that comes to mind is a situation where we refuse to pay attention to the less fortunate people in our neighborhoods. If every single person in the elite of our society will take care of at least one child, most of the street kids would be taken care of. Yet, we act as if it is none of our business.
Truly in the short term, there tends to be no consequences to our act of irresponsibility. However in the long run most of those kids are now grownups and are the fearful nocturnal visitors with weapons attacking the same neighborhood, raping our daughters and wives, maiming our sons and husbands, turning our lives into a nightmare. Our response? Another blame game. We turn our attention to the government and we whine about the incompetence of the police, we also complain about the breakdown in law and order. Yet, we forget that we actually had a role to play in the consequences we are reaping.
“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
When we refuse to do what we are supposed to do at the right time, the consequence is that of pain and tragedy. When a people refuse to pay the price of Personal Responsibility for the problems of the nation, that same people end up paying the high price of irresponsibility, which is often in tragedy and sorrow.
We laugh and jest at what we call “street boys or area boys” instead of thinking of what we could do, to get them occupied or send them to school and create work opportunities for them. We rather choose to build walls around our compounds, electrocuted fences to protect out interest and personal comfort. That only shows lack of Personal Responsibility. It doesn’t matter who the government is, what they do or what they don’t do.
The action or inaction of any government does not negate the Personal Responsibility of the citizens. “Such street boys and area boys” would sooner or later come back to us in another ampleur. Only this time as thieves, armed robbers, cultists and gang members that we fear and dread.
Yet, instead of us to have a rethink and begin to use the money we use in building fences, to build bridges of social organizations, NGOs, employment platforms, we again turn around and try to bad mouth our system, forgetting that we are the system. We are the nation. We are the government. We are the people!
To be continued tomorrow with the following points:
- A Practical example of taking responsibility for where we are
- Benefits of taking responsibility.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CHURCH AND NATION
By Pastor Sunday Adelaja
