Before I begin, let me give you a Rant Alert.
When I’m done you may feel like I’ve been ranting a bit. I’m not going to apologize for it, I feel strongly about the point I am about to make. I’ve decided after thinking about this post for two days, that perhaps a rant is the best way to make this point.
A few days ago I received an email from SmallerIndiana (a great Indiana networking site) which posed a question: Can Government Programs Solve Obesity in America?
I readily admit that at that moment, I didn’t click through to read more about what was being said (here is the link to the full forum post and all of the conversation it has spawned). Why? Because the question at the root appalled me. Obesity may have many factors, but in the end, except for people with specific medical conditions, it is about calories in and calories out. And it doesn’t matter what program you have, it all comes down to how much people eat, and how much people exercise.
After reading the forum post I do have a broader understanding of what the point of the question was, but it doesn’t change my fundamental point. When we look externally to solve our problem, we absolve ourselves of responsibility. (In fact, inside the forum post there is some ideas that point to my point as well – taking personal responsibility.) From this “Government programs” question it isn’t too far of a reach to points like…. “I’ll get skinny when there is a government program to help me” , or “It’s the government’s fault we have an obesity problem.”
To which I say; calories in and calories out, fundamentally (except in some unique situations) is a personal responsibility and is 100% in my control.
I also received an update email from the Wall Street Journal with the subject line: Georgian “Olympic Committee Blames the Track, Not the Athlete, in Fatal Luge Crash”. The short report reads in full:
News Alert
from The Wall Street Journal
In its strongest condemnation yet of the horrific accident that killed 21-year-old Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili hours before the opening of the Winter Olympics, the Georgian Olympic Committee on Thursday blamed the track, not the athlete.
“I exclude the possibility that Nodar was not experienced enough,” committee chief Giorgi Natsvlishlili said in televised comments. “From my point of view the track was at fault.” (italics mine)
Mr. Kumaritashvili died in a training accident when he lost control of his luge on the final turn of the track at the Whistler Sliding Center, the world’s fastest, and hit a steel support at 145 kilometers per hour.
I was saddened by the death of Mr. Kumaritashvili and it is indeed a tragedy, and what I am about to say is not about him, but about the epidemic of blaming others. Here is what I learned in my research after reading that email:
- Not counting practice runs, there were 264 singles luge runs during competition this week (men and women).
- There was a World Cup event on this course recently (the deceased didn’t participate) and I do not know how many runs there were, but I believe it to be more than 264 runs in competition.
- There were training runs in November (Mr. Kumaritashvili had 9 runs). I have no way of knowing the total number of runs made here.
- The course is super fast – considered the fastest in the world.
- The course for men was shortened to the women’s starting point after the accident (but this wasn’t the case for the practice runs, the World Cup event or the training runs in November).
Here is my point: If many others over many runs haven’t had the results of Mr. Kumaritashvili, how can it be the track’s fault? And even if Mr. Kumaritashvili was experienced enough, does that exclude him from making a mistake?
Notice I am not saying it isn’t a fast track or perhaps a dangerous track (I am clearly not expert in this area). What I am saying is that Mr. Kumaritashvili has some responsibility for the result – if not most all the responsibility). To place blame others/The Olympic Committee, the track, etc. is to deflect us from the truth of our personal responsibility.
This post may have offended you, if so, so be it.
In neither situation am I saying that outside influences can’t help, perhaps they can. Are there things other can do to support people with their weight issues? Of course. Are there things that could be done at the luge track? Yes, and it appears they were done.
None of this changes the ultimate responsibility for our actions – and taking responsibility for what we can control.
If I weight more than I want to (7 pounds, thank you), it is no one’s fault but mine. If someone is afraid the track is to dangerous, don’t get on the sled (I know, but it is the Olympics — but I wanted that piece of pie too!)
Whew.
The lesson for us as individuals and leaders is clear (to me at least). If we want to help others be responsible and accountable, we must be that for ourselves first. And perhaps the first step in that personal journey is to stop buying into the blame and shifting accountability we hear from others; and I have shared but two quick examples – they are everywhere.
Here is your leadership activity for today.
Look at something that isn’t working for you. Determine what part of that outcome is 100% within your control. And make the necessary change that you can make to change the outcome. Right now.
You will get there one step at a time. And each step you take will put you one step closer to successfully helping others take responsibility and accountability.
It may not mean life or death, but it has everything to do with your ultimate success.
Keving – Great post; The new Normal after the global economic slow-down is no-more cultures of entitlement, the sub-prime mortgage debacle was not caused by the banks or goverment, was caused by the own people that made a decision to get the loan, or “buy” the house.
— I am responsible to know my expenditure limits – my income dictates what I can afford.
— I am responsible to bring more value to what I do (at my work) to make/bring more income.
— I am responsible for my healtcare no the goverment.
— I am responsible for my education – my child education as well.
— I am responsible for my family
— I am responsible of my doings or wrondoings – nobody else, no the goverments, no my parents, no the society, no my boss, no my customers, nobody but ME.
The goverment is responsible to regulate and oversee that the law (constitution) rules.
Kevin, AT LAST someone willing to state the obvious. It is tragic the Luge incident. So is is a tragedy the obesity in the world today. I once discussed this with a great physician. He said that he’s made the observation that parents will complain about the “Fast Food Giants” being the contributor to their child’s obesity while handing them a cookie at the grocery store. We have become a society willing to lay the blame on anything other than “our self”. Industry tragedies are not immune to the same fault. Many of the tragedies occurred by many individuals ignoring signs that indicated something awry and needed attention. It’s time for individuals to stand and be accounted for their actions.
Hey, Kev –
This topic of personal responsibility vs. the influence external factors on behavior/outcomes is a fascinating one. On the one hand, in my Org. Psych masters program, the concept underlying everything they taught us was that we attribute more to the individual than the situation most of the time. (This is called the Fundamental Attribution Bias, and Malcolm Gladwell has some great essays on the subject in his last couple of books.)
On the other hand, there are all sorts of pitfalls when we fail to hold ourselves and our neighbors, colleagues, families, (governments) to account. It does everyone a disservice if we think of ourselves more as victims than as autonomous and powerful. I like the point you come to that as leaders (of our own lives if nothing else) we should ask what we believe we can control and do our best in those areas.
Two last thoughts:
1. The ubiquitous serenity prayer, borrowed from AA says: Give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. That last one has always been the doozie for me.
2. Seatbelts and smoking. Both areas where government intervention engendered similar rants. Of course we all have personal responsibility there, but creating education and support for healthier choices certainly has transformed our cultural norms. And saved lives.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to wake up and think.
Kat
Good read–better correct your typo!
You nailed it, Kevin. This “blaming” is at epidemic proportions. Government cannot solve people issues. They can create structures that help people solve issues, or often prevent people from solving issues. I appreciate your rant!
Kevin,
First, I agree! We need to quit blaming others when we have the ability to make the change for ourselves.
Your “rant” even inspired a post on my blog: http://recoveringengineer.com/reflections/victim-or-victor-you-decide/
Thanks for your thoughts and rant. I really enjoyed this one.
Change is hard!
Change is good!!
Change will change you and others around you!!!
Let’s Be doers of the word!!!!
Kevin,
I had the same feelings when I heard that the government was going to solve the obesity problem. It is no wonder that government has grown obese itself trying to solve all the “personal” responsibilities of each citizen. Perhaps we the people need to put the government on a diet!
As a person who is overweight, I know I AM RESPONSIBLE! not the government or my parents but ME!
I also agree with your comments about the unfortunate accident on the luge track.
Enjoy your post!
I just couldn’t agree with your rant more! RESPONSIBILITY….when did this begin becoming everyone’s else’s except the real owner? I am responsible for what I eat and if I exercise. No one else period. Just me. I am responsible for the sports I choose and I am aware of the danger associated with it, whatever that might be.
I always thought that my biggest job as a parent was to teach my children RESPONSIBILITY so they had the tool they needed to fly from my nest.
Kevin
Rant or not, I have every sympathy with what you say. Your examples certainly highlights the extent to which society is breeding the need for people to look anywhere but themselves when things go wrong. Your weight example is one instance of this, but another is poor students blaming the system for their failings rather than their own lack of effort. There are doubtless people who are at a disadvanatge compared to others, but the fact that some people rise above it proves that it is not the system that is at fault.
I am not sure whether it is part of the same problem, a different facet of the same problem, a cause of the problem or an entirely different problem, but another is an increasing aversion to risk. Your luge example and the subsequent shortening of the track typifies this. If we continue down this road we will end up with tiddlywinks and snakes and ladders becoming major olympic sports played virtually by people who are too obese and risk averse to get out of their chairs!
Okay, ignore the hyperbole, but these attitudes do have serious consequences. The inability to take responsibility and be acountable for our own actions leads to a dependency on and growth in government. This was highlighted on a recent TV news bulletin around the time of the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change where a panel unanimously agreed that they needed to change their own actions, but admitted they were unlikely to do anything until government legislated that they needed to do so. Aaargh! With that kind of attitude we might as well have a dictatorship rather than the kind of democracy our grandparents and others fought so hard for!
The basic premise of my book, “A Feeling of Worth”, is that the more we depend on government and delegate our civil responsibilities, the more we lose our sense of self-worth, and that is why we as a society, the most affluent in history, are also the most dissatisfied.
A
This reminds me of the advertisement I heard on the radio last week for a new government program to help people who are facing foreclosure or bankruptcy. If I understood what they were saying, the program will eliminate the debt that is causing the problem and give participants a fresh start. I ranted, as you have, wondering how people were ever going to change their behavior if they never had to face the consequences of their actions. Of course, the people who will pay the cost of these individuals avoiding their consequences are those of us who escape these consequences by our good decision-making. Time for people to stop the blame game, accept responsibility and respond to the natural consequences of their actions by changing what they are doing. Maybe more people should tune in to Remarkable Leadership and take the advice given.
Thanks for letting ME rant, too!
We become a “scapegoat” culture when no one wants to take responsibility for their decisions and actions.
“You must be the change you want to see in the world” (Gandhi)
Great Post Kevin! I totally agree! We are responsible for our own actions and blaming someone else for any misfortunes we may have is rediculous. We control our destiny, no one else. The government and present administration is a perfect example of the blame game. Continuing to add to the existing problem but still blaming past admin. Not Cool!
No one wants to be responsible or accountable anymore for anything and as long as we allow the media, society, advertising and our politicians to tell us that it is ok and that we will just put another program in place to take care of people’s lack of personal accountability then same on us! When life is over on this planet and we face our maker and are held accountable for our actions or inactions there will be no program government or otherwise that will bail us out of our lack of personal responsibility. But while we are here and still kicking we have a choice, to blame others for our misfortune or suck it up and do something about it ourselves. Even at its worst, we are still living in the best of times than any generations has ever experienced, what part of that don’t we understand! We just fail to ignore the fact and think that Government will take care of us. It is time that the american people especially say enough is enough, stand up and be counted and take a stand that will rekindle the flame of freedom, but freedom has a price, and are we willing to be accountable for it? Life is tough and then you die, CRAP! Like is what we want to make of it, OUR choice, no one else’s, ours alone. Do we chose accountability or do we chose to let others decide for us. Your choice.
I am my brother’s (and sister’s) keeper. Read the words of Gen. 4: 9:
And the Lord said unto Cain, Where [is] Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: [Am] I my brother’s keeper?
So, you all raising Cain, well, I take it with a grain of salt.
Government programs can help teach citizens the way to be responsible, i.e. healthy by eating right, exercising and thus losing weight. The idea that this learning must occur within one’s family or through one’s own responsiblility is not realistic. For the people, by the people, of the people….think about it.
We are called to help those who cannot help themselves…or, at least I know I am.
I agree with your main point: we too often blame others when we should be taking responsibility for our own actions and results. However, there is an intermediate step that is often necessary for getting the full story. Substitute ‘curiousity’ for the blaming and for a ready answer (which is also a form of blaming, btw). Both the blaming and the taking full personal responsibility may miss out some important information. Curiousity leads us to ask more questions rather than assume we know the TRUTH.
In the case of obesity, we don’t actually know the biological mechanisms leading to obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes or overweight. It is not as simple as calories in, calories out. It is a lot more complicated. One thing that opened my eyes to this was Gary Taubes’ book, Good Calories, Bad Calories. He also has an online video talk out of Harvard, I think. The other thing that I have learned is how strongly social factors influence weight–poverty, social status, education, on and on. If you can’t afford fresh veggies, you fill your kids and your own stomachs with what you can get–esp if you live in a depressed area, you are depressed, all your neighbors are the same, and you have no job prospects.
Anyway, my point is that jumping to any conclusion without checking out all the facts is a mistake, even if your conclusion is a very widely accepted one like: ‘eat less, exercise more to lose weight’. ‘Yes, but……’
There are no obese people in a famine. It really IS as simple as calories in/calories out. We DO know the biological mechanisms and have for centuries: eat too much, never exercise, and you will get overweight. Period.
Can’t lose weight? Let me put you on a deserted island for 18 months… so much for the genetic excuse.
OK people: breathe. Kevin, you seem to have a bad case of Cabin Fever. Take a break. Linking a ‘cure’ for obesity with the death of an Olympic athelete is poor logic and contributing to the fear-mongering I hear on the news all the time. What about the public schools that serve high-fat, high-sugar meals? How about the lack of a decent grocery store in ghettos so that poor people can have a choice other than 7/11 for their food needs?
We really do need solutions, hope and suggestions other than the ones that go: “If I walked 2 miles to and from school in the snow everyday, uphill both ways, what’s wrong with you softies???”
This is merely a reflecion of our society. Bailing out mis-managed companies, instead of accepting responsibility, putting the blame on something else for being obese,etc. Take ownership.
Kevin: While I agree with your overall premise of a need for increased personal responsibility, “Maggie” who posted makes a very valid point. This obesity issue may not be quite as simple as we think. There are some, to be sure, who have the resources and faculties to do better. I include myself in this group. There are others, as Maggie points out, who suffer from the ill effects of poverty (and not simply economic but in “awareness” as well) that contributes to their situation. Not to wag my finger, because I respect you too much to be so presumptuous as to do that, but I feel we could all benefit from a better understanding of the effects of poverty and education on certain groups who suffer from obesity. Sure, they eat the “McBurger Double” -no one is putting a gun to their heads- but maybe that’s all they know? If you see my point. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. –R
I love the stream of comments here – thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments. Let me make a couple of more comments…
To Jule’s point – I am not suggesting we shouldn’t help others, I am not advocating not helping others, nor am I advocating not providing people with education and awareness that might help people in regards to their challenges (obesity included). All of these (and more) are things in our ability to influence – which supports my point – focusing on what we can do. Can the government play a role? Most likely. But that is different question than the question that started the post – – Can Government Programs Solve America’s Obesity Problem?
To Maggie’s point – Of course obesity a complex issue. And while I mentioned that fact I didn’t outline everything you described – and we are better off for your points (thanks). My overriding point (which I hope doesnt’ get lost here) is that we all need to focus on what is in our control.
As long as we look outside of ourselves for all the solutions, as long as we allow our selves to big the victim, we are missing a chance to reach our potential.
Thanks everyone! Keep the comments coming!
Kevin 🙂
Kevin,
First of all, this is your fault that I have to write to you. Your comments made me so angry that it forced me to comment. Obviously, this is all the government’s fault. They allowed everyone to get obese so that they can come in and fix the problem. The Georgian Luger was probably crashed because he was obese since of the government lacked control and died due to the dearth of government oversight regarding his luge sled (hey, look at Toyota brakes and accelerators!) and the course, of course, was built by the Canadian government to purposefully be too fast (they even brag about it). Oh yes, it was all approved by the government and built by unions and supervised by big business. So, everyone else is to blame for everything.
But I want full credit for the brilliance of this rant…
With tongue planted firmly in cheek,
Your friend over distance and in prayer
Scott Ringwelski (Scott Ski)
Thanks for standing up for reality!
Hi Kevin. I absolutely agree! Far too many people are waiting for government solutions to problems that only we can resolve! We will not be a great nation again until individuals take back responsibility for making good things happen!
Bill
This discussion is particularly relevant today, as the Chairman of Toyota testifies before Congress. Accepting responsibility is a first step toward improvement. As the saying goes, “actions speak louder than words.” Toyota now needs to prove that they are doing everything possible to correct their problem.
Kevin, thank you so much for this post! Overall our society has cultivated a culture of deflecting all responsibilty. If I don’t learn a concept, it’s the teacher’s or the school’s fault. If I trip and fall, it’s the sidewalk owner’s fault. And on it goes. At some point we have to say “enough!” This week I got bold enough to suggest that the solution to our health care crisis was not creating insurance coverage for all, but rather to outlaw health insurance altogether. If we were all responsible for our healthcare costs, you’d see a lot of long-overdue changes–both in our behaviour, and in the overblown health care provider network. Radical? For sure! Practical? No way. But, would some kind of personal responsibility in the system be a good start to the fix? Absolutely! And that’s how I feel about most problems: The first step to solving any problem is to take responsibility for my share of it, and make changes to correct my deficiencies. And on that, I’m sure we agree.
Kevin,
Government programs can not solve individual obesity issues, however the Governemt can contribute in reducing the problem with cedrtain inititatives (i am not from the states, i really dont even know what is the programme proposed by the usa government) – removing vendor machine from schools, social awareness meetings at schools and communities, municipal level organization of athletic events….
Kevin, regarding the Georgian athelete, amazingly but true, you talk nonsense.
1.why the metal support poles were not secured (wrapped-cushioned?)
2. why they lowered the start if it was safe?
2. why they put the ‘wall’ hafter the accident?
As you say, it is our responsibility for everything we do (or not doing it) and there is none to blame except us – no excuses, as more we offer of them, more mistakes we make. I can agree with that. But I can not agree with the stupid notion that we have to pay with our lives for the mistakes we make as olimpians. Insane!
Kevin,
Have you considered the notion of a food desert? Do you know what that is?
People can only eat what they have access to. Drive through the vast majority of inner cities in our great country, or through an impoverished area in any state, and you will find a lack of healthier foods and dining options. Prove this for yourself: get out of the ‘burbs and visit these areas. Dining options aplenty abound: Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, Hardees, In and Out, Sonic, White Castle… you get the idea. Don’t like that? How about: 7/11, AM/PM, the ‘food mart’ in the gas station.
People cannot eat in a healthy manner when they do not have access to such foods. Thus to place the blame on people using (such seemingly impenetrable) logic as, “calories in and calories out” belies the real issue: food equality. Equal access to affordable and healthy food for all. Easy to do in the ‘burbs, not easy to do in the inner cities.
And to be clear, I live in the suburbs, in a tract neighborhood, with lots of healthy options, including organic, farmers’ markets several times a week, Whole Foods, etc. I am fortunate in this regard, others in inner city not so. Am I more responsible than my brothers/sisters in the inner city, no. I’m wealthier. I can afford better food. It’s not about responsibility. It’s about access.