Amun-Ra
07-09-2001, 07:58 AM
Like light beer, reduced calorie ethics, low fat morals, fat free behavior and no cholesterol conduct have reduced our society to a no fault generation, devoid of conscience and suffering from a deficiency of honor.
We live prefabricated lives marked by a startling shallowness that is only transcended by its triviality. We all want to win the prize but we want to win it without being accountable for anything that we might do along the way. Basically, we want it handed to us.
It is hard to take responsibility. It is especially hard when individual rights become a focal point. Responsibility requires that one be willing to be held accountable. In other words, it means one is willing to take the blame. It means one is willing to stand up and be counted no matter what the consequences.
Ultimately, it means that one is willing to face death for true belief rather than face dishonor for failing to stand one’s ground instead of hiding in the safety of anonymity.
Too often we are prompted to take the easy way out. It is human nature to avoid the toils and strife of this thing we call life. However, just as it is in our nature to avoid that which is difficult and burdensome, it is just as much a part of our nature to desire that which is unattainable, to want what is out of reach or to dream the impossible dream.
Those of us who are truly alive seek the unseekable and challenge the unchallengeable. That is the way of progress--skepticism.
We have mastered fire. We have overcome gravity and put men on the moon. We have mastered microbes and bacteria. We have mastered the power of lightning and harnessed the wind. We have mastered quantum physics, Euclidean algebra and thermal dynamics. We have even managed to overcome genetics in some cases and produced clones through artificial resources by mastering technology.
Still, of all things mastered in the universe the most difficult to master is ourselves. To master one’s self is the ultimate progress surpassing even Einstein’s theories and theories that are yet to come. Mastering one’s self requires a variety of skills among not the least are discipline and accountability.
Discipline is an essential requirement in achieving any success. It is the framework inside which we work. However, accountability transcends the self and embraces a universal kinship with people and inalienable ideas and beliefs. It is accountability that makes the difference in the significance of our lives.
If we are accountable for ourselves only, then we miss the most important lesson of life--that life is for the living and the dead are forever gone. If we have lived only for ourselves we have no attachments and no responsibilities and serve no useful purpose in life other than to please ourselves, then we have no important reason for living other than the pursuit of individual fulfillment; in which case, your death would actually give the rest of us a break.
Fulfillment of this nature serves little purpose other than to satisfy an arrogant compulsion whose only benefit is momentary gratification that will eventually leave the seeker vacant and in the process consume or expend resources that could be put to better use.
Accountability is the after effect of a dependence on someone other than one’s self to meet an expected end. It is the nature of accountability to bring satisfaction in the quest for fulfillment. It is the knowledge of a job well done. It is the feeling of having fought the good fight regardless of the outcome. It is that feeling of transcending one’s self in order that other’s may benefit from our endeavors that brings the richest reward and the deepest satisfaction.
It is the joy of watching your children open their Christmas presents. Seeing the smile on their face is worth more than any gift you could receive on a material basis. We see those smiles because we have taken the responsibility or have become accountable for someone other than ourselves.
The life fully lived is a life based on giving and not expecting anything in return. It is also the life that is most likely to reap the rewards that will bring the most satisfaction to those who pursue it.
However, we seem to have lost that selfless accountability in our society. It seems that no one wants to be held accountable for anything including their own lives, let alone the lives of their children or fellow man. We have no shortage of volunteers for the success of a job well done. There is no shortage of persons willing to claim the gold ring no matter how small their role in its attainment. On the winning team there is no shortage of heroes and contributors.
Yet, it is difficult to find the man or woman who will stand and take the blame when things don’t go right. No one wants to stand up and take credit for a failed venture or activity. Victory has many fathers but defeat is a bastard child, unless a convenient scapegoat can be found.
In the United States we often use the world of sports as a microcosm of American life and often it is an appropriate metaphor. In college sports, once it was not unusual for a coach to take the blame for the stupid things his or her players had done. It is a point of honor to protect your charges from the slings and arrows of negativity, whether deserved or undeserved, to ensure their trust in the coach as the person worthy of the players' loyalty. It is this willingness to take accountability in our grasp and turn it to our advantage that makes us worthy of living on this earth.
There is an old saying, “no one ever remembers who finished second.” That statement is true to a certain point. Generally, in a widely populated area the chances are small that anyone would consistently remember the second place finisher. However, contrary to what market-based ethics may say there is no harm in coming in second, third or even last. It all depends upon the goal and how the quest for that goal was implemented.
More importantly, it is how we react if that goal is not achieved. If 99 mistakes are made in the quest for a goal and the 100th attempt is successful, you have just learned 99 things not to do in the future. Failure is a harsh, but fair teacher. It is the acceptance of accountability for the goal and the welfare of others who may or may not have signed up for the ride that counts most in the true measurement of attainment.
Once accountability is accepted as a key element in any endeavor there are no winners and losers, only believers seeking a common goal.
Eventually, more often than not, a healthy dose of accountability combined with self-discipline, motivation, knowledge, and vision will pave the way to life success in all endeavors. The greatest joy in life is giving and probably the second greatest thing is being a part of a real family.
Monetary success without anyone to share in it is the height of loneliness and dejection because once one leaves the arena of mindless acquisition one is left only with his or herself and a bunch of things. Acquisitiveness does not make friends. It makes associates who are also potential enemies. You’ve got it. They want it. If you should slip, they will have it.
These sometimes allies are accountable only to themselves. They care only about themselves and what they can acquire. They have no conscience as to how their actions may affect you, those around you and them, indeed, the whole world, as long as they get theirs. How they get it doesn’t particularly matter, as long as they get it. Let the consequences be damned. It is only about them, that is, until they fall victim to one of the circling vultures who have waited patiently for their downfall.
Those who refuse to be accountable will eventually receive the short end of life’s wealth either through paranoid protection of materialism or a life of mistrust, apprehension, misgiving and a failure of human faith in anything. To live unaccountably is to die unaccountably.
It is better to die having lived a meaningful life than to die rich and unfulfilled while pursuing more and more. In the end it will make no difference, history will hold us all accountable for the lives we’ve led and the things we loved.
Amun-Ra :cool:
We live prefabricated lives marked by a startling shallowness that is only transcended by its triviality. We all want to win the prize but we want to win it without being accountable for anything that we might do along the way. Basically, we want it handed to us.
It is hard to take responsibility. It is especially hard when individual rights become a focal point. Responsibility requires that one be willing to be held accountable. In other words, it means one is willing to take the blame. It means one is willing to stand up and be counted no matter what the consequences.
Ultimately, it means that one is willing to face death for true belief rather than face dishonor for failing to stand one’s ground instead of hiding in the safety of anonymity.
Too often we are prompted to take the easy way out. It is human nature to avoid the toils and strife of this thing we call life. However, just as it is in our nature to avoid that which is difficult and burdensome, it is just as much a part of our nature to desire that which is unattainable, to want what is out of reach or to dream the impossible dream.
Those of us who are truly alive seek the unseekable and challenge the unchallengeable. That is the way of progress--skepticism.
We have mastered fire. We have overcome gravity and put men on the moon. We have mastered microbes and bacteria. We have mastered the power of lightning and harnessed the wind. We have mastered quantum physics, Euclidean algebra and thermal dynamics. We have even managed to overcome genetics in some cases and produced clones through artificial resources by mastering technology.
Still, of all things mastered in the universe the most difficult to master is ourselves. To master one’s self is the ultimate progress surpassing even Einstein’s theories and theories that are yet to come. Mastering one’s self requires a variety of skills among not the least are discipline and accountability.
Discipline is an essential requirement in achieving any success. It is the framework inside which we work. However, accountability transcends the self and embraces a universal kinship with people and inalienable ideas and beliefs. It is accountability that makes the difference in the significance of our lives.
If we are accountable for ourselves only, then we miss the most important lesson of life--that life is for the living and the dead are forever gone. If we have lived only for ourselves we have no attachments and no responsibilities and serve no useful purpose in life other than to please ourselves, then we have no important reason for living other than the pursuit of individual fulfillment; in which case, your death would actually give the rest of us a break.
Fulfillment of this nature serves little purpose other than to satisfy an arrogant compulsion whose only benefit is momentary gratification that will eventually leave the seeker vacant and in the process consume or expend resources that could be put to better use.
Accountability is the after effect of a dependence on someone other than one’s self to meet an expected end. It is the nature of accountability to bring satisfaction in the quest for fulfillment. It is the knowledge of a job well done. It is the feeling of having fought the good fight regardless of the outcome. It is that feeling of transcending one’s self in order that other’s may benefit from our endeavors that brings the richest reward and the deepest satisfaction.
It is the joy of watching your children open their Christmas presents. Seeing the smile on their face is worth more than any gift you could receive on a material basis. We see those smiles because we have taken the responsibility or have become accountable for someone other than ourselves.
The life fully lived is a life based on giving and not expecting anything in return. It is also the life that is most likely to reap the rewards that will bring the most satisfaction to those who pursue it.
However, we seem to have lost that selfless accountability in our society. It seems that no one wants to be held accountable for anything including their own lives, let alone the lives of their children or fellow man. We have no shortage of volunteers for the success of a job well done. There is no shortage of persons willing to claim the gold ring no matter how small their role in its attainment. On the winning team there is no shortage of heroes and contributors.
Yet, it is difficult to find the man or woman who will stand and take the blame when things don’t go right. No one wants to stand up and take credit for a failed venture or activity. Victory has many fathers but defeat is a bastard child, unless a convenient scapegoat can be found.
In the United States we often use the world of sports as a microcosm of American life and often it is an appropriate metaphor. In college sports, once it was not unusual for a coach to take the blame for the stupid things his or her players had done. It is a point of honor to protect your charges from the slings and arrows of negativity, whether deserved or undeserved, to ensure their trust in the coach as the person worthy of the players' loyalty. It is this willingness to take accountability in our grasp and turn it to our advantage that makes us worthy of living on this earth.
There is an old saying, “no one ever remembers who finished second.” That statement is true to a certain point. Generally, in a widely populated area the chances are small that anyone would consistently remember the second place finisher. However, contrary to what market-based ethics may say there is no harm in coming in second, third or even last. It all depends upon the goal and how the quest for that goal was implemented.
More importantly, it is how we react if that goal is not achieved. If 99 mistakes are made in the quest for a goal and the 100th attempt is successful, you have just learned 99 things not to do in the future. Failure is a harsh, but fair teacher. It is the acceptance of accountability for the goal and the welfare of others who may or may not have signed up for the ride that counts most in the true measurement of attainment.
Once accountability is accepted as a key element in any endeavor there are no winners and losers, only believers seeking a common goal.
Eventually, more often than not, a healthy dose of accountability combined with self-discipline, motivation, knowledge, and vision will pave the way to life success in all endeavors. The greatest joy in life is giving and probably the second greatest thing is being a part of a real family.
Monetary success without anyone to share in it is the height of loneliness and dejection because once one leaves the arena of mindless acquisition one is left only with his or herself and a bunch of things. Acquisitiveness does not make friends. It makes associates who are also potential enemies. You’ve got it. They want it. If you should slip, they will have it.
These sometimes allies are accountable only to themselves. They care only about themselves and what they can acquire. They have no conscience as to how their actions may affect you, those around you and them, indeed, the whole world, as long as they get theirs. How they get it doesn’t particularly matter, as long as they get it. Let the consequences be damned. It is only about them, that is, until they fall victim to one of the circling vultures who have waited patiently for their downfall.
Those who refuse to be accountable will eventually receive the short end of life’s wealth either through paranoid protection of materialism or a life of mistrust, apprehension, misgiving and a failure of human faith in anything. To live unaccountably is to die unaccountably.
It is better to die having lived a meaningful life than to die rich and unfulfilled while pursuing more and more. In the end it will make no difference, history will hold us all accountable for the lives we’ve led and the things we loved.
Amun-Ra :cool: