Personal Responsibility: 1 Solid Essay Worth Writing

Seventh in an occasional series about stories and ideas worth telling.

We start the new year with personal responsibility, or a lack of it.

This idea came from my meeting Scott Fussnecker, a pastor in Cincinnati. He wants to write an expository essay about personal responsibility.

Specifically, Fussnecker has seen in his years leading congregations that some people have confessed to him they are unfulfilled. They thought that by accepting Jesus as their personal savior and by attending church and doing what the Bible teaches, they would feel like their lives were complete. Instead, they feel empty.

Fussnecker realized what was missing: You have to take personal responsibility for your role in trying to live a Christian life. People were being too passive, just expecting it to happen.

He gave this example: Instead of praying to God for a possible outcome, we should pray to God to give us the strength, vision, ability, duty, and wherewithal to make that desired outcome a reality.

When Fussnecker approached me with this idea, I jumped at it. Personal responsibility seems to be at an all-time low in our society these days.

Look no further than our 45th and 47th president. Among many other things, Donald Trump didn’t take responsibility for the federal response to COVID (he blamed China), didn’t accept the 2020 election results, didn’t denounce white supremacy or the Jan. 6 rioters (and didn’t think he played a role in those events), and didn’t accept any role in his companies’ six bankruptcies.

Trump is symbolic of a wider societal problem, something that Fussnecker wants to highlight and I fully support. Here are six arenas in which personal responsibility has disappeared/taken a back seat/eroded.

1. Too much reliance on technology. Our increasing dependence on navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze has diminished our ability to navigate independently. I remember stopping into a gas station and asking for directions. Being too dependent on GPS, spellcheckers, and other technological aids has led individuals to be less willing to develop skills and take responsibility for tasks they once handled independently.

2. Health and wellness quick fixes. Instead of longterm lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise, society looks to quick fixes like weight-loss pills or surgeries. We use fitness trackers and apps for health monitoring instead of self-discipline and awareness. There was a time when it was up to us to fix preventable conditions such as obesity or diabetes. Now, we expect healthcare providers to do it. And let’s not forget the rampant vaccine skepticism that keeps people from getting shots that would protect them and society at large.

3. Social media’s lack of accountability. We blame “cancel culture” for personal consequences rather than taking responsibility for harmful actions or statements, thus shifting personal responsibility away from individuals. We focus on collective punishment or outrage without fostering personal growth or accountability. Using anonymous platforms to spread misinformation or harassment without liability has to stop.

At the same time, we can’t hold social media platforms responsible for issues like bullying, misinformation, or addiction. We need to re-emphasize an individual’s personal responsibility to use these tools wisely or critically. There cannot be the cultural emphasis on victimhood we have seen, where individuals focus on external circumstances rather than looking in the mirror and taking action to overcome personal challenges.

4. Not managing debt. There is an unsustainably widespread lack of financial literacy in government on down. I was taught to never buy something I can’t afford, So, if I use a credit card, I already know I have the funds to pay the entire bill on time. 

Similarly, I went to a cheaper college and graduated with no debt. This seemingly is impossible now. My daughter will graduate law school (three-year program) about $80,000 in the hole, which is less than the $113,559 the average student accumulates in three years.

The government isn’t helping either. The national debt is $35.46 trillion.

5. Suing instead of working it out. Instead of filing a lawsuit, how about acknowledging personal dietary choices or common sense? Common sense says if you eat at a fast-food place, you might gain weight or have health issues. But that didn’t stop Caesar Barber, Ashley Pelman and Jazlyn Bradley from suing McDonald’s in 2002. They all subsequently lost.

6. Not taking care of mental health. We tend to overpathologize normal emotions (e.g., labeling stress as “burnout”), and we expect others to take care of us instead of taking some personal responsibility over our own coping strategies. Too many people also misuse mental health as an excuse to avoid work or personal obligations—and then they don’t take care of the problem. 

I found many others, including a decline in long-term commitment to the job, people not taking responsibility for their consumer purchases, and relying on the government when you can take care of yourself. But you get the idea, and I think it’s safe to say that Fussnecker is onto something.

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