On Coming to Accountability

There are times in the lives of all of us when someone has to see that we do what we should do, and that we don’t do what we shouldn’t do. In our early years we become accustomed to having parents make many decisions for us, and to having teachers tell us what to do from day to day. Before we are fully accountable, such assuming of responsibility by others would seem to be essential to the process of growing and learning. But sooner or later we find ourselves in situations when neither parents nor teachers are near–by to tell us what to do and what not to do. And for such times we must know for ourselves right form wrong and must decide for ourselves which is which. There comes a time when all of us must know the law and live it, when all of us must learn life and face it. And there comes a time when our youthful years are no longer an acceptable excuse for our defaulting. And every parent knows that every child must sooner or later learn to face facts and accept the consequences for all his own actions. And so it is that parents have a solemn and a sacred obligation to teach children principles by which they can make up their own minds in all such matters. And how great would be their guilt, if, by their neglect, parents should permit children in their charge to grow up in ignorance of the primary principles of life. But there are some things that even a parent cannot do, not even for his own child. There are some things that no one can do for anyone. No one can always make all our decisions. No one can always take full responsibility for us. Others may counsel and love and work for us, persuade and pray for us, but they cannot forever spare us our own responsibility for our own lives. And they would not be wise to do so if they could. Having been brought to a knowledge of correct principles, having been taught what to do and what not to do, we must then assume the consequences of our own doing.