By The Canadian Press

  • Dearche@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    It really is sad that the way to get the most attention is through hate and resentment, not through care and joy.

    I personally believe that personal responsibility is how to get yourself out of a hole and live a good life. The difference is that I would never say “you gotta pull yourself up by your shoelaces” but instead “you gotta teach a man to fish.”

    You can’t save others. Not in any long term sense. But you can give others the means to save themselves. You don’t get someone out of addiction by just throwing money at them, but have them go through therapy, get them to figure out what’s wrong with them and what can be done to fix it, all the while supporting them emotionally so they don’t feel all alone while they struggle. Only then can they overcome their addiction (or poverty or isolation or whatever) and grow as a person and become responsible for themself.

    Self responsibility is the result and how you keep what you’ve gained, not the means to cure life’s ails. Self responsibility is nothing but turning your nose when people are in a hole, because what they need isn’t to be lectured, but a hand reaching into that hole. It’s only when they have a grip on the lip of that hole that they can better themselves through personal responsibility. Not when they’re so deep that can’t even reach that ledge.

    I know I’m a hypocrite for saying this stuff without actually doing anything to help anybody, but it’s far worse to just say shit and expect others to magically fix themselves, as all it does is make them feel worse for being unable to fix themselves when they shouldn’t be expected to. You don’t look down on a 5yo just because he can’t read.