Make The Right Choice: Intentions and Responsibility for Actions

We all at sometime or another intend to achieve or do something in our life. Whether or not we achieve what we intend to do is up to us. Whether or not we should feel responsible for what we intend lies on what those intentions are. Both intentions and actions come with responsibility.

If you asked a group of senors in high school what they intend to do after they graduate, the majority of them would most likely say that they intend to go to college. Whether or not they actually do is up to them. Their intentions all depend on if they act upon those intents and fill out applications so that they can get accepted into college. The responsibility for what we intend to do, and achieving what we intended to do lies on the action we put forth. Depending on what’s intended, if you put forth no effort to fulfill your intention, there is no responsibility for it because you have yet to accomplished it. If you take action to do what every it is that you intended to do, you now have the responsibility that comes along with the actions that you took. Intentions are more like ideas or thoughts, that until some action is taken to express those ideas physically or mentally, they have yet to have any impact on the world. For example, I intended to study Spanish yesterday, but due to circumstances and my laziness I never accomplished my goal of studying. Therefore that thought of studying is just floating around until I put forth the effort to get up and away from the computer ,open my book, and study. It is our responsibility to take actions on our intentions. It is also our responsibility to choose to act on intentions that are good and not the bad. People need to think about what it is that they really intend to do before they act because any action we take towards achieving what we intended to do, we claim total responsibility for it.

Its kinda ironic how Hitler intended to rid Germany of jews. But when it came to time for someone to take the blame for the death of millions of innocent people, he didn’t take responsiblitily for his intentions and actions, he committed suicide to avoid being persecuted for war crimes and responsibility. But it wasn’t only him, it was everyone who stood by and did nothing to intervene to right the wrong.

We may feel responsible for what we intend only if what we are intending to do was already our responsibility. Like when I intended to study Spanish but never did. Of course I feel responsible for it, it’s my responsibility to study so that I can get a good grade. Because I failed to act on my intention, I have extra studying to do to make up for the lost time. Even though I intended to do something, and never did, there’s still the responsibility of me having to make up study time. So even when we don’t achieve what we intended to do, there is still some responsibility that comes with what’s intended. When we have chores that aren’t completed one day, they roll over to the next day and your left with the leftover chores plus the daily chores for that day.

Since no time capsule has yet to be invented, there is no way to take back our actions. If you intend to do something, you better be willing to take the responsibility for it. You are the only one responsible for yourself. No one else can take the responsibility for your actions. If you think before you act, you have the option on whether or not you are going to bare the responsibility for something. You have the freedom to choose whether to bare responsibility for the actions your about to take or to choose not to act at all. Responsibility is not only derived from the decision that is actually made, but is also derived from decisions that could have been made.

I take full responsibility for my actions, and I naively expect others to do the same. Maybe I should just point fingers and blame others for bad stuff that happens to me. Sorry, but I take too much pride in working for what I want out of life instead of sitting back and blaming others for what I don’t have. And in the same respect, if I screw up, I admit that I screwed up. Nobody’s fault but my own. Others may influence my decisions, but ultimately, I am the one that makes that final choice. When we are faced with a decision, we must consider all that is before us in order to make the best possible choice. We will be held responsible for the decisions we make and for the decisions we did not make.

Works Cited

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