Taking Responsibility Is More Than Just Saying It

Unless you are living under a rock, you have heard the story about New York Congressman, Anthony Weiner’s fall from grace.  With the release of certain provocative photos of him which he had sent from his Twitter account, Congressman Weiner has been hit by the media, and both the Republican and Democratic parties.  First, he denied the photos were of him, however with the threat of the release of additional photos, he finally came clean.

“…and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23 NIV

“For there is nothing hidden that shall not be disclosed, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come out into the open.”  Luke 8:17 AMP

When Anthony Weiner says he has taken responsibility for his actions, I am not sure he has.  Taking responsibility is more than just saying it.  When one takes responsibility, especially for a wrong action on their part, they should also be willing to be held accountable.

In Congressman Weiner’s case, I believe that if he really wanted to take responsibility, he would resign.  However, he has steadfastly said that he is not going to resign even though members of his own party are calling for his resignation.  This is what is wrong with some of our leaders today—they say one thing, but do another.   They think they are above it all and that rules and laws don’t apply to them.  There is this belief that because of their position and power they can do and say almost anything they want.  It is all about them. As a result, the public continues to be very cynical when it comes to politicians. 

With this latest failure of one of our elected officials (there will be others) , it is clear that many people do not have any real understanding of what it means to be responsible. Responsibility means you are willing to be held accountable for your actions.

I believe we must demand more of our leaders, not perfection, but sound ethical behavior from leaders  who live by an uncompromising set of standards.  Is that too much to ask of the men and women that we trust to run our country?  If it is, we are indeed in trouble.