2016年03月16日
Japan Generosity Strikes Again!
I have written in the past about how generous people in Japan are, specifically my Landlord. I have been trying to give him some honey from my moms bees back in Texas since January but I could never catch him. This past weekend I finally did! My friend and I saw him and gave him the honey and he gave us Kumquats and Mustard leaves! It was my first time eating Kumquats and I really like them! People here are so generous and giving and I can't help but think, Go Japan!
2016年03月16日
Responsibilities Pt. 1!
Hello!
I wanted to talk a little about something that affects everyone, but can show itself in many different ways. When we live in a culture or society that is based on mutual trust and community, there is a need for some kind of self regulation and checks. This self regulation most commonly is taught in schools as Responsibility. What responsibility means, very generally, as I’ll go into more detail shortly, is that there are certain actions, tasks, even attitudes that we as individuals must adopt and conform to to live in our various societies. This can change from country to country, but we all have a sense of what it is we must do to, if not improve our lives, then at least maintain the way that we were introduced to that society.
There are two forms of responsibility that I want to talk briefly about, one in this post, and one for my next, but both are equally important in their own ways. Next time, I’ll be speaking about cultural responsibility, but this week, I’d like to talk about personal responsibility.
As the phrase might imply, personal responsibilities that we conform to that make us as individuals productive and healthy members of our society. They mean adhering to the law, and understanding the rules of business (no matter what business we might find ourselves in), and following the social norms that allow us the ability to meet, talk with, and engage with other people in our society. These seems pretty broad, but personal responsibility also means being aware of, and changing (if necessary), our own attitudes, behaviours, and sometimes beliefs, in order to better fit into the society we live in.
Now don’t get me wrong, because re-reading that last paragraph might make it sound like I’m saying there is no room in society for an individual person’s beliefs, or that being different from what might be considered “normal” is somehow wrong. I am absolutely not saying that, and I understand that each person is their own unique being, and to think that somehow they should completely change based on culture or heritage is a very difficult thing to ask. What I’m saying is that personal responsibility is required so that everyone can find a common ground when interacting with each other in society.
As a closing statement, let me give an example of the need for personal responsibility that allows us all to work together. Imagine a game of soccer, where there are 11 players on Team A on the field. All 11 of those players need to understand the rules of the same and their roles in the game in order to have the game play out so everyone is happy and can have fun. But if one person, who may know the rules and chooses to ignore them, decides to pick up the ball with his hands and run with it, then the game is no fun for anyone. One person ignoring his personal responsibility to play the game according to the agreed upon rules can ruin it for everyone else playing.
What do you think? What are some examples you can think of in your life that you felt compelled follow agreed rules because it makes everything easier?
-Alex
I wanted to talk a little about something that affects everyone, but can show itself in many different ways. When we live in a culture or society that is based on mutual trust and community, there is a need for some kind of self regulation and checks. This self regulation most commonly is taught in schools as Responsibility. What responsibility means, very generally, as I’ll go into more detail shortly, is that there are certain actions, tasks, even attitudes that we as individuals must adopt and conform to to live in our various societies. This can change from country to country, but we all have a sense of what it is we must do to, if not improve our lives, then at least maintain the way that we were introduced to that society.
There are two forms of responsibility that I want to talk briefly about, one in this post, and one for my next, but both are equally important in their own ways. Next time, I’ll be speaking about cultural responsibility, but this week, I’d like to talk about personal responsibility.
As the phrase might imply, personal responsibilities that we conform to that make us as individuals productive and healthy members of our society. They mean adhering to the law, and understanding the rules of business (no matter what business we might find ourselves in), and following the social norms that allow us the ability to meet, talk with, and engage with other people in our society. These seems pretty broad, but personal responsibility also means being aware of, and changing (if necessary), our own attitudes, behaviours, and sometimes beliefs, in order to better fit into the society we live in.
Now don’t get me wrong, because re-reading that last paragraph might make it sound like I’m saying there is no room in society for an individual person’s beliefs, or that being different from what might be considered “normal” is somehow wrong. I am absolutely not saying that, and I understand that each person is their own unique being, and to think that somehow they should completely change based on culture or heritage is a very difficult thing to ask. What I’m saying is that personal responsibility is required so that everyone can find a common ground when interacting with each other in society.
As a closing statement, let me give an example of the need for personal responsibility that allows us all to work together. Imagine a game of soccer, where there are 11 players on Team A on the field. All 11 of those players need to understand the rules of the same and their roles in the game in order to have the game play out so everyone is happy and can have fun. But if one person, who may know the rules and chooses to ignore them, decides to pick up the ball with his hands and run with it, then the game is no fun for anyone. One person ignoring his personal responsibility to play the game according to the agreed upon rules can ruin it for everyone else playing.
What do you think? What are some examples you can think of in your life that you felt compelled follow agreed rules because it makes everything easier?
-Alex
