#513 Responsibility

It’s weird. Just when I think modern culture has abandoned the whole notion of personal responsibility up floats a nugget of hope. They talk about teenagers going through the phase where they externalize responsibility for everything—my dog ate my homework and such. And they say one of the first signs of maturity, other than hair sprouting in odd places, is to accept responsibility for your own transgressions. What they don’t say is that then you’re supposed to do something about it. “I take full responsibility” is an empty phrase without a consequent action. And said too often, with no change in behavior, makes you think the sayer is a dweeb with a capital W.
So I was pleased the Washington prison bureaucracy has moved ahead and implemented a new plan with soon to be released criminals. They are telling almost ex-cons they can’t be released into polite society without first coming up with a re-entry plan. Kind of like a graduation contract at a liberal college. Or the notebook high schools are trying to make kids start which gets them to commit to a future career when they’re still in eighth grade. Except in the case of the convicts, it’s more like an exit strategy. But it’s cool they’re getting the convict to take responsibility for his or her future before he or she is released. It’s always been a pretty stupid idea to just throw someone out of a three-square, covered roof environment into the cold cruel world. They were obviously not coping with it well enough to keep them out of jail in the first place.
The other instance of personal responsibility is a new traffic crossing on Capitol Way. Planted in umbrella stand-like depositories are removable traffic flags. Like the ones traffic guards use at school crossings. Except these are for regular people. And you do it yourself. Cool idea. Be your own crossing guard. And you don’t even have to be a young mom with your first kid in kindergarten. But the real example of personal responsibility here is even more hope-inspiring, humanity-wise. After four weeks, the flags are still there.
America, ya gotta love it