As a child, I was raised to believe that personal responsibility was a core tenet of being a good person and responsible citizen. I got my first job at 13, delivering newspapers. I was brought up believing that welfare and food recipients were bad because they got money they didn't earn. I was taught that anything less than pulling your weight was a moral failure. This carried over to my political beliefs as a young adult. The republican party aligned pretty closely with my philosophy of personal responsibility, telling me that I should be able to keep the money I earned instead of handing it over to welfare queens who didn't want to work. I briefly had to tap into government assistance. I felt ashamed and humiliated, and vowed to get off of that assistance as soon as I was able.
As I grew older, I managed to get ahead and absolutely believed that my success was exclusively due to my grit and determination. I was grinding, and I was slowly getting ahead. I was doing what society said I should be doing, and I was reaping the reward of my hard work. I was living the lesson of in order to get ahead, you need to work hard. When I started making headway, I became a little smug, feeling a bit superior to those who weren't advancing their lot in life. At that point, I had conveniently forgotten that I needed help.
More time passed, and I saw the prosperity disparity grow with the people I grew up with. Some of them went to college and entered very lucrative professions. Others succeeded by entering professional trades. Still others never left my minimum wage hometown and to this day are slaving away in crappy jobs, worrying about the next layoff, making mortgage payments on modest homes, and living one missed payment away from homelessness.
Almost without exception, the lower wage earners are working much harder than the high wage earners, with that labor taking an outsized toll on their bodies, and the low wage bringing outsized worry. Their low wages force them to purchase highly processed food, which reduces their health. They can't afford insurance, so they can't afford the insulin to treat the diabetes brought on by the crappy food, which is all they can afford. They're one car repair away from financial calamity.
Now, let me wrap that back to my own life. I absolutely remember having life get in the way. I remember having the car break down and needing to ask the landlord to let me pay half of my rent now and the other half in a couple of weeks so I could repair the car. Fortunately, I rented from compassionate, small town landlords who said yes. I remember piling money into my 401k, only to lose half of it to the internet bubble in the early 2000s, then getting back to where I was, only to lose half again to divorce, then getting back to where I was, only to lose half of it to the housing bubble. In the grand scheme of things though, these were first world problems because I didn't end up on the street. My point is that life happens, regardless of how personally responsible you are.
Unfortunately, it took life happening to me to realize that personal responsibility isn't enough. At some point, compassion needs to enter the picture. Humans were not intended to live and die in isolation. We have grown and evolved as a species because we cooperate. Somehow we seem to have forgotten this.
Jesus Christ did not approach those who extolled the virtues of personal responsibility before extending compassion. He put compassion first, and admonished those who put self before others. Even if you are not Christian, his approach is worthy of emulation of respect. Compassion breeds a desire to advance personal responsibility, which allows one to spread that compassion to others. A rising tide lifts all boats. I wish that more people understood this. The world would be a better place.
I'd like to close by saying that politicians treat compassion and personal responsibility as an either-or choice. This is a wonderful example of the false choice fallacy. We should lead with compassion and exemplify personal responsibility.
2 comments:
This- and in most cases- the Have Nots are far more generous with their compassion that the Haves. I also was on Public Assistance Married to my first husband. I swore that when he was gone I would never go back on it- and so far I've struggled thru and kept that promise. I pray I never do- but have compassion for those that need it.
"...the Have Nots are far more generous with their compassion that the Haves..." YES THEY ARE!!
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