Being an adult means that you accept consequences for your behavior. Nothing is more pathetic than a grown person who chooses a path in his or her life and then either attempts to deny that he has chosen that path, or wants to find a way around the natural outcomes of that choice. An average adult is free to do just about anything he wants with his body, and he revels in that liberty while remaining fully mindful of the price of that freedom: foreseen and unforeseen consequences, both pleasant and not.
But Piers, you will say, no one gets to choose everything about their life. Agreed. But everyone is granted a certain measure of choice, which is why each person must accept responsibility for the choices granted him. My students laugh and groan when I tell them that they do not have to come to class, and that they don't have to complete their assignments . . . as long as they are willing to accept the grade that results. They do not know how serious I am.
Sometimes, thankfully, we are given a reprieve. But that's known as grace; it's a gift, not an entitlement.
No comments:
Post a Comment