Somthing has been bothering me. I call it the "victim mentality". When somthing bad happens to a person they take on the role of a victim who needs a rescuer. This doesn't happen to all people, only those who choose to impose on themselves the label of "victim".
The Hurricanes brought this out to extreems. When people's choices or circumstances put them in a bad situation, some looked to the Government for help, the Government failed them and they became angry. They refused to take responsibilty for their cituation. Somehow their problem became a Government project.
Whatever happened to taking responsibilty for ourselves? The concept of responsability that we had in the 20s and 30s seems to have been lost. Has America really lost the ability to "pull ourselves up by our boot straps"? I hope not.
I hate when people show us the world's problems and don't offer a solution. And so I'll try to point us in a good direction.
What can we do to fight this worldview? First, we need to take responsibility for our lives. It's your life, it is what you make it. The guy in this picture is a good example. He didn't let his wheel chair stop him from having a blast at the beach.
Secondly, we need to expect responsabilty from others. By labeling people as victims we are encouraging them to play the role. Don't allow people to complain about their situation. And if they do, ask them the hard questions: "what are you doing to help yourself?" Labeling people as victims also degrades them as humans. In their minsd they are being told that they can't help themselves. This makes it even easier for them to take on the role of victim
And lastly, it is important to recognize real need. There are victims, there are people who can't help themselves, and we have an obligation to those people. The Bible comands us to love all people as much as we love ourselves. If we are loving others we will be looking out for their needs.
My favorite way to help is to offer to work with them on their problems. Rather than give money to the jobless man, I would offer to help him find work. If the man doesn't want to find a job and help himself, then I'm not going to help him either.
The Hurricanes brought this out to extreems. When people's choices or circumstances put them in a bad situation, some looked to the Government for help, the Government failed them and they became angry. They refused to take responsibilty for their cituation. Somehow their problem became a Government project.
Whatever happened to taking responsibilty for ourselves? The concept of responsability that we had in the 20s and 30s seems to have been lost. Has America really lost the ability to "pull ourselves up by our boot straps"? I hope not.
I hate when people show us the world's problems and don't offer a solution. And so I'll try to point us in a good direction.
What can we do to fight this worldview? First, we need to take responsibility for our lives. It's your life, it is what you make it. The guy in this picture is a good example. He didn't let his wheel chair stop him from having a blast at the beach.
Secondly, we need to expect responsabilty from others. By labeling people as victims we are encouraging them to play the role. Don't allow people to complain about their situation. And if they do, ask them the hard questions: "what are you doing to help yourself?" Labeling people as victims also degrades them as humans. In their minsd they are being told that they can't help themselves. This makes it even easier for them to take on the role of victim
And lastly, it is important to recognize real need. There are victims, there are people who can't help themselves, and we have an obligation to those people. The Bible comands us to love all people as much as we love ourselves. If we are loving others we will be looking out for their needs.
My favorite way to help is to offer to work with them on their problems. Rather than give money to the jobless man, I would offer to help him find work. If the man doesn't want to find a job and help himself, then I'm not going to help him either.
