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Responsibility, It Is Personal

Gen/200
July 1, 2013
Lisa Hailey

Responsibility, It Is Personal
The term Personal responsibility can be defined in many ways, yet there is no one definite definition. To be personally responsible, one would first have to have the ability to be accountable for ones actions. Everyone is raised in their own unique atmosphere, and the levels of responsibility introduced during that upbringing will vary largely. For some people, the concept of personal responsibility will be introduced at a very young age, for example a young child learning to play a musical instrument, or competing in a dance performance. Other children will learn personal responsibility very late in life, usually due to tragedy, or a change in lifestyle. Unfortunately, there really is no set age of requirement for someone to assume personal responsibility, and once the decision has been made to become responsible, not everyone follows through.
Personal responsibility can also be referred to as "accountability," defined by Merriam-Websters’ as "the quality or state of being accountable; especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions." (Merriam) If I was to define personal responsibility, I would say that it requires taking control of your destiny, being liable for your actions, and understanding the difference between responsibility, and obligation. To be accountable for one self generally means one would admit to one's mistakes, make an attempt to make those mistakes right and live in a way that does not harm others, at least not intentionally.
The determination of who needs to be responsible depends on the situation. Anyone that has something dependant of them should automatically assume responsibility. This could range from a child caring for a pet, a young adult holding a job, or a person running a household.

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