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Belle Wright
Humanities 1100
Deborah Francis
10-25-15
Freedom, Responsibility, & Justice
My philosophy on responsibility is that regardless of your lifestyle, you will always have
responsibilities that must be met. Responsibilities are not nice, charming suggestions, but things
that need to be addressed head on. I have a responsibility to myself to take care of myself and
ensure that I build my life in a way that makes me happy to where others can see that and learn
from it. Responsibility it tied into every privilege we have. This all goes along integrity and
doing everything that you promised to do, as well as what was implied that you would do. We all
have a responsibility to be honest and virtuous in whatever way we see fit. If we do our part for
our lives, it will shine through for others. Many things we are responsible for have nothing to do
with us, but will in the bigger picture influence us and those we care about.
I believe that a good citizen is one that looks out for others. They should be selfless and
willing to work with others in an attempt to make the whole community united. I will uphold
being this kind of a good citizen by taking part of my community. I try to go to city events, and
be involved with local news so that I can know what is going on all around me. Just being aware
of your surroundings will help you be in touch with everyone else. I think it is important as a
citizen to know more than just local news. Ignorance is not bliss but being informed is bliss. I

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dont want to be responsible for others being irresponsible. This is such a strong quote in saying
that we cant depend on others to have specific knowledge, so we must reach out to others so that
a community united will still exist.
Through the readings and media presented in class, I believe that the United States should
have an active role in world affairs. I believe that as a nation, we have the resources to change
the world and it would be selfish if we didnt use them for good use. Franklin Roosevelt puts this
in beautiful terms in The Four Freedoms saying We are committed to full support of all those
resolute people everywhere who are resisting aggression and are thereby keeping war away from
our hemisphere. By this support, we express our determination that the democratic cause shall
prevail (138). I fully believe that we should do everything in our ability to reach out to other
nations, in the same way a good citizen should reach out to others.
The United States definitely has a responsibility to impose freedom, justice, and
tolerance. In the name of humanity, there is a seed in every single person that is waiting for his or
her chance to help someone else. Living in a world where countries are selfish would be a sad
world to live in. Quite a boring one too. Many very iconic Americans have agreed with this and
promoted the idea of being all human rights to the worlds people.
In the Declaration of Independence, we see outlined what freedoms should be given to
all men. This is not exclusive to just those in the states. All men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty
and the pursuit of Happiness. (127). If we have knowledge of a situation where any of these
terms are not being met, individuals, nations, countries, should intervene. Article 2 of the

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Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, Everyone is entitled to all the rights and
freedoms set forth in this declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex,
language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other
status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or
international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be
independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. (273)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations in 1948,
meaning there are many countries that should be abiding to these rights and freedoms. They also
say their duty is to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.
(272). Because this was an internationally acclaimed piece of writing, there is an even larger
responsibility to uphold the promises made in them.
Of course I believe that no one can help another if they can not help themselves.
However they can still aid them. By this I mean that although the United States still does not
have a perfect government, we can still play a part in aiding other nations. It might not be as a
huge portion, but not matter how small, effort is effort. If anything, just by acknowledging
problems around the world, those who can make the biggest difference will eventually hear about
the cause and participate.
As President Bush plainly said, Our cause is just. I believe that any expense to help
those less fortunate or those in different circumstances will be worth it. We should not need to
question acting out of consideration or humility. Every step towards humility will help bring the
humanity back into our lives.