Being Accountable

“Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”― Mahatma Gandhi

This morning after trash pickup, I heard music coming from my next door neighbor’s front porch. With temperatures soaring lately, I’ve stayed indoors mostly. Since I was outside, I decided to check on him. We talked, we laughed and we talked some more. As we stood at our property boundary, my neighbor handed me a piece of paper with his new phone number written on it. He said he let an acquaintance used the phone to make a quick call and she drove off with it. He’s lost his laptop as well as other electronics in the same manner.

My neighbor is a good man who needs attention and he is honest about it. He is a compulsive shopper. He is very disorganized, which causes him to forget where he left items; therefore, when he needs an item he is forced to purchased another set. Every now and then we will help him organize/declutter his garage and label all his tools. It’s never enough. He keeps buying and some keeps disappearing. He lets people use his tools and equipments without supervision and give full access to his tenants. I told him that he had no one else to blame but himself.

From the moment they started talking, I have been teaching my children Accountability.
They know that for every action, there’s a consequence. They understand the concept of ‘reaping what you sow,’  fighting fair and always striving to do the right thing.

• When you shoot something up, expect it to fall down
• When you give, give freely and don’t expect anything in return
• Remember that loving someone doesn’t guarantee they will love you back
• Do no use others for your personal gain
• Guard your thoughts and watch your mouth
• Nurture good habits
• Don’t tell your secrets and hope they’ll remain secret: words have a way of getting out
• Don’t look down on others and expect them to assist you in times of need
• Even the smallest decision can have huge impact in your life
• Be accountable for your own actions
• Wrong doings tend to find you in the darkness

With this in mind it is always a good idea to offer everyone your good side and always smile kindly. There will be times when a stern word or two must be used, but remember that words tend to come back and hunt you. As a society we learn every day and we must navigate it carefully and truthfully with our best intentions always in mind.