The Responsibility Is Yours

I’ve blogged about an awesome export from Texas. Here’s a not-so-awesome export from Texas.

	Open Letter To The Couple In The Photo: I understand that “all the kids are doing it” and “what’s the big deal?”, but here’s what I DON’T understand; when you’re working 20 hours this week at McDonald’s and complaining about how no one will give you the
photo by People Of Walmart	chance, and you know you’re better than this,

and why is life so hard, and how are we going to pay for all of this meth that we keep needing, please try to understand what I’m about to tell you.

You are responsible for the circumstances of your life. You have created the situation you’re in. It’s not society, it’s not the economy, it’s not your parents, it’s not your clergy, it’s not because of your gender, it’s not because of your ethnicity, and it’s not because you live in a small town that you have such a shitty life. The responsibility is yours.

People judge you, and make decisions about you, and interact with you based first on what they see. Your appearance colors their perceptions. And then, good or bad, your actions confirm those initial impressions. I know it’s unfair, and we’re told in kindergarten “to not judge a book by it’s cover”, but we do. We do it every day, and it’s not fair, but we still do it. Deal with it.

The single greatest thing you can do to improve your life is TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHANGING IT. The way to start doing that is to like yourself enough to dress and act like a responsible person in your community. Like someone who truly cares about who they are and where they’re going and what they’re doing.

Clearly, what you’ve got going on there ain’t it. Now go home, put on some clothes, and get to work.