Social Issues: I Am Responsible!

“Whenever anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA to always be there, and for that, I am responsible.” AA Preamble

As I have stumbled along on my journey, I have often repeated that preamble. I would not be here today if it were not for a small handful of people who refused to give up on me. The last six years would have never happened if it were not for them. I think about all the people I have met in those six years; all of the laughter I have shared; all of the love given and received. All of it may never have happened if someone hadn’t reached out a hand of help when I desperately needed it.

I was raised by loving parents who insisted that I follow certain principles. Those principles were non-negotiable as far as my parents were concerned. There was no gray area, no wiggle room; according to my parents, a human being must rise to a higher standard of morality, or their growth would be curtailed.

I understood their words and agreed with them when I was young. I understand their words and believe in them today. I was taught that compassion is one of our finest defining qualities, and to live without compassion is to live an empty life. I was taught that empathy allows us to connect with other human beings on the most basic of levels. I was taught that our highest calling as a human being is to love, and I was taught that one earns respect through actions and deeds.

I write all this now as a way of explaining why I speak out against injustice in this world. I would love to write nothing but comedy, but comedy does not erase wrongs that are occurring daily in this world. I would love to write nothing but carefree fluff for the entertainment of millions, but carefree fluff does not feed the souls of those who are suffering in this world.

I may not be able to end misery in this world, but I can most definitely raise awareness through my writing, and for that, I am responsible.

I am responsible!

Whenever I hear of child abuse, I am responsible! Who is going to protect children if we do not? Who is going to speak out against the sex-slave trade and the producers of child porn if we do not? Who is going to demand that child prostitution end if we do not?

As a former teacher I have seen child abuse. Those memories still haunt me to this day, and I will not let them fade. I have seen child abuse in the grocery store and on playgrounds, and when I see it happen I cannot stand by and hope someone else takes the initiative because you see, I am responsible!

When women are abused I cannot turn my head and pretend I do not see. Who will help them if we all turn our heads? For far too long citizens of this nation have chosen to ignore abuse, or stand by patiently while government takes its sweet time in dealing with these ugly matters. Unfortunately, women die while the wheels of justice bog down in legal matters, and that is unacceptable.

I am responsible!

No, I cannot give money to every poor person in this country, but I can insist, through my writing, that people acknowledge the problem as a nationwide epidemic that affects us all, rather than an isolated problem that is someone else’s concern. I do not do this in hopes that the economy will improve; rather, I do it in hopes that our species will improve.

How many among you have lived in poverty? How many among you have wondered where your next meal will come from, or lost sleep worrying about making the next rent payment. Have your children gone to bed hungry? Have you cried because of knowing the misery associated with hopelessness?

I have the power to be the thorn in the paw of government. I have the power to affect social change! I have the power to make a difference, but it will only happen if I am willing to help.

I am responsible!

I am not allowed to stand blithely by while others ridicule people because of their race, color, or creed. By silently allowing it I am, in fact, a perpetuator of the problem. In the United States of America, I have been taught from an early age that we are all, as citizens, free. We all have unalienable rights, but if those rights are threatened by the bigots and haters of this nation, is it not up to every citizen to step up and confront that threat? Am I correct?

What happens to one in this country, with regards to those unalienable rights, happens to all of us. If I see hatred I must face it, and call it out for what it is. If I witness bigotry or prejudice, I must be willing to voice my disapproval. Otherwise, in my mind, I have given up the right to call myself a citizen of this country, and worse yet, I have forfeited my membership in the human race.

I am responsible!

We are told from an early age that we are all equal in the United States. We are told that when we were born we were born on a level playing field, and we all have the same opportunities to succeed in life, however you measure success. However, to any rational human being, the reality is much different, is it not?

This is a case where statistics do not lie! Certain ethnic populations in this country are at a severe disadvantage in today’s world, and always have been. In many ways women are at a severe disadvantage in this country. It should not be so, but it is!

Simply because I am a white male of good health and mind does not mean that I can ignore when others are not given the advantages my genes gave to me. No socially-conscious individual can do that!

I am responsible!

Every time someone speaks out in hatred, it is my responsibility to speak out in love. I have the power to negate hatred in the world. I can do it in my daily actions and I can do it through my words. If I hear words of hatred I must combat them with compassion. If I see acts of hatred I must confront them, for to do nothing is to condone them, and I am a better person than that.

I do not know if hatred can be eradicated from this country, but I do know that those who hate can be called out for their behavior. Silence is not golden in this instance; to stay silent is to validate the hatred and I will not do that either.

So you see, I am responsible! I was raised to be so. My parents are both gone now, but the lessons they taught me live on….in me….and in my son. It is a legacy that I am proud of, and a responsibility I take very seriously.

It wasn’t just my parents who taught me, though; some great statesmen and humans came before me, and they all declared the same thing:

“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.”
Frederick Douglass

This country was founded on the belief in justice for all. Our founding fathers were willing to die for that belief. Our founding fathers understood that to quietly acquiesce to injustice is to declare a willingness to be treated unjustly as well. I am not willing to declare my willingness to be treated unjustly, and so I speak out, and I speak out for all of those who have lost their voice. How can I not speak out and declare myself a member of society.

For that, I am responsible!

2012 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)