Being Part of Society
The events of the recent past have drastically changed the way we look at events in our country. It doesn’t matter what our political beliefs are or what we think should happen. We are governed by a set of laws that we are all expected and legally obligated to follow. We have all seen what transpired in Washington D.C. when a group chooses to ignore these rules and as a nation we all must live with the fallout.
Personal Accountability
People often make decisions based on emotions. We get worked up and committed to a cause and we do not always think about the ramifications of our actions. The recent riots at the United Sates Capitol building is a perfect example of this. A crowd of people, with strong political beliefs and convictions, got carried away and chaos ensued. As the fall out of this incident continues across the country, many people are getting a reality check. We are all responsible for our individual actions. It does not matter how many people were involved or how long it will take, but individual participants should be held accountable. What we do is our own responsibility and we cannot hide from our own actions. Too often in history has the excuse “we were only following orders” has been used to justify horrific events. As the government justice department continues to work through evidence of this recent event we must, as a society, learn from the mistakes made by the large group and individual participants and we must take responsibility of our individual actions.
Translating to Everyday
Ultimately, we must think about how this rule applies to our lives. Every day we make decisions that affect our careers, our families, and our livelihoods. In fact, every decision we make will ultimately be judged, sometimes by others and sometimes by ourselves. Self-reflection is critiquing our own actions in order to improve ourselves and we must hold ourselves to some sort of standard. That being said, we must also realize that we are members of a large society and subject to its laws. These rules of law are created by officials elected by the majority of the people. This is crucial to remember. The majority decides what is right and what is wrong. Even if we disagree with a law we are socially obligated to follow it. This is what makes our society free and fair. Imagine what our communities would look like if we only followed the rules we wanted to? Odds are car accidents would increase, crime would run rampant, and our clean cities would be trash filled dumps. Laws exist for a reason.
Enacting Change
So what should we do when we strongly disagree with a rule or regulation? Ignoring it is clearly not the right thing to do. Well the answer is simple, get involved. Part of what makes America great is there is always an avenue to enact a change. If you do not like a law, start a campaign to try to get it changed. Contact your local elected official and try to get the issue brought up for debate. If this fails, you can petition to get an issue on a general election ballot, or you can even run for office yourself. The steps to get a law changed is based on the individual law, if it is local, state, or federal. Additionally, you must consider that there will be opposition to your position and you will likely face resistance. A great example of such a campaign is drug laws in America. There are countless positions and campaigns going on at any given time to change them and deregulate certain substances. This debate is ongoing and recently we have seen changes to marijuana laws in many states. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is, if it is illegal in your State you are expected to follow the rules or move somewhere where it is legal. The law is the law and it is not up to us to decide which rules we want to follow.
Do What is Right
No matter what is happening around us we must strive to do what is right and this can sometimes be extremely difficult. We do not want to challenge our friends and loved ones or question their decisions but often times that is exactly what we should do. We must remember to be calm and respectful when we take this approach and make sure our loved ones know we are only doing this because we care about them. The worst thing we can do is ignore our loved ones who put themselves in danger because of poor choices. We do not want the people we care about to face punishment for poor choices so we must ensure that we force them to think things through. It is important to note that we cannot control the actions of others, but we can make a difference by invoking thought. So when you see someone you care about make a choice you disagree with do not hesitate to tell them. Do not try to control them but ensure they realize what they are doing and make sure they understand that their actions affect others.
We live in a melting pot of a society and our ability to compromise and work together despite our differences is what makes us strong. We must be open minded and we must be responsible for our actions. We should always think twice before taking action and remember what we do not only affects us. It has an impact on our loved ones and our society. So spend some time to reflect on recent events and make sure we learn from the mistakes of others. Do what is right and when we disagree try to enact change in the appropriate way. We can only become stronger as a society by moving forward together.