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Thursday, 01 April 2010 10:37 |
Real Conservative - Part 4
We continue our series of editorials on ten guiding words crucial to the mission of refocusing the conservative movement. We've covered reality, reason, morality, and unity, -- this week we take a look at responsibility...
Responsibility
No review of conservatism would be complete without the word responsibility. A sense of accountability - at every level of our culture - is critical to the future of all that conservatives and America are about.
There is No Liberty without Responsibility
Responsibility is birthed in liberty. One cannot flourish without the other. This is one of the reasons that mankind is inclined to neglect liberty until is it no longer available. Without vigilance and dedication, the load of responsibility packaged with liberty grows heavy. When we surrender to the temptations of laying down our accountability, liberty slides incrementally through our fingers.
Twenty-first century America is not a fan of responsibility. That aversion runs from the top down and the bottom up. Though it is easy to point the finger at government, the rich, and big business, the man on the street is becoming just as adept as the fat cats in dodging accountability.
It doesn't make much difference which way you look, accountability avoidance is rampant. If a person is poor, it's someone else's responsibility to fix it. If someone is rich, it's assumed they've ripped someone off to get there. If a minority is underperforming, the responsibility for solutions is too frequently transferred to a vague 'they' versus a very real 'me'. Under such conditions, more and more people are inclined to play the victim card and discard the responsibility card.
Systems with a Future Require Accountability
The notorious and growing inefficiencies of our education, criminal justice, immigration, finance, and health care systems can be clearly tracked to an absence of accountability. Those who work in those systems will quickly note that responsibility and consequence are rarely if ever an organizational priority.
A quick review of the lack of responsible Board action and regulatory effectiveness during our recent economic meltdown offers insights on the impact of displaced responsibility. Self-service, comfort, and what's in it for me thinking controlled about every board room in America before the crisis. Nothing much has changed.
You may have also noticed that our government has lost its ability to solve problems - any problems. That's because almost every system of government is devoted to procedures (covering ones behind) versus outcomes (responsibility). A mental review of the Transportation Security Administration taking shoes off little old ladies will provide a model of procedures trumping outcomes.
Real Respect is Always Earned
We hear a lot about dignity from today's 'me' culture. Those in a minority position are quick to ask for equality and respect. In reality, neither is accessible as a gift. Both must be earned and assumed through personal responsibility. Anyone who minimizes an individual's personal accountability is an abuser trampling dignity and potential under the pretense of virtue. Anytime you find yourself asking to be an equal you have already lessened that possibility.
That to which we contribute, we love. That to which we are dependent, we hate. In those two sentences we find the reason that so many American's seem to resent their country and take its gifts for granted. The antidote to the resentment is giving back. For an American, there is simply no better gift to your country than taking steps toward personal responsibility...
Next week - Part 5 of "True Conservatives" - we'll take a look at the importance of 'Restraint'...
Dr. Carl Mumpower
www.thecandidconservative.com
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