Week Six Journal Entry

It is very educating to see how some of our most influential persons of Western culture are described as models of responsibility and moral righteousness. Individual responsibility is one of the most important issues to me. I look around in this society and I see such a defining line between those who are responsible and well-mannered and those who are neglectful of these characteristics. Often I see the direct relationship of success with responsible people and failure or a lack of fulfilled success with those who choose a life of irresponsibility or laziness.

“Mind your business” is a quote I once read about keeping control and dominion over your total livelihood. This means being in command of your homes, your possessions, and even your own mindfulness of your self and those around you – since, ‘your business’ is a matter that includes how you interact with others personally and professionally, we need to be mindful of our respect for other people. Judith Martin addresses this issue in her essay The Oldest Virtue which discusses the importance of etiquette and manners. It pains me to see how the customary manners and etiquettes we were taught not so long ago are being discarded at the wayside at such a rapid rate. As I pointed out in one of my responses to another student’s post, our culture seems to glorify this trend in movies, reality TV, and music.

Concerning another matter regarding our assignments, I was surprised that I was able to compose a poem. I do not think that I have ever done that for a class, and as I first perused over the assignments this was the one that I quickly disregarded. But, as I reviewed the list of topics after the readings I began brainstorming for a couple minutes about what I would make as the subject if I was required to complete this assignment. I could not believe how quickly a few thoughts about my job turned into an intriguing story.