Monday, 5 May 2025Responsibility plays a crucial role in our daily lives, whether it’s on campus or dealing with people around us. We need to take up our own responsibilities wherever or whenever we are. Today, we are going to tell you a rather well-known story that took place in George Washington’s childhood. Serving as the first president of the United States, Washington’s story highlights the importance and the way of taking responsibility.
When Washington was six, he received a hatchet as a gift. He felt delighted as he could occasionally get new gadgets to play with. Soon after, he started to look for something that he could try his new hatchet on. He turned to look outside and realised that trees in the garden would be the most suitable for testing the sharpness of the hatchet. He ran outside and found a cherry tree located in the middle of the garden. The cherry tree had a thick trunk and was full of bright-red cherries. Looking at those dizzying cherries, Washington wondered if his brand new hatchet could cut the tree down. In a sudden, he lost his mind and lashed out at the poor cherry tree.
Just like what Washington had thought, the cherry tree fell in a flash. ‘Bang!’ However the excitement of trying out the hatchet soon faded. Washington quickly realised that it was a foolish idea to try it on the cherry tree. He recalled that the cherry tree was his father’s favourite tree. His father treasured the tree so much that he didn’t even let others touch it. Washington felt extremely regretful for his naive act and had no idea on how to deal with the circumstances.
‘Bang!’ Someone slammed the door open. ‘ What was that loud bang all about?’ A man shouted in a hurry, the whole house and Washington knew that was his father. Washington ran down the stairs and apologised. ‘Father, I was too excited when I received the hatchet this morning. After cutting down the cherry tree, I realised that it was your favourite tree in the garden. I didn’t mean it. Please forgive me…’ Washington bowed with tears flashing in his eyes. He thought his father would be mad and punish him. To his surprise, his father didn’t scold him at all, but rather bursted into laughter. ‘My boy, I really appreciate your courage and honesty to admit your fault and bear the responsibility. Just remember to think carefully before you make any decisions next time.’
We often face the dilemma of whether to tell the truth and bear the consequences, or to just lie and sneak away from the responsibilities. Will you avoid being responsible and directly escape from trouble? As a Shungtakian, we should always be responsible for what we have done, especially when what we have done is actually wrong.
Imagine a world where everyone acts irresponsibly. What if students miss all their assignments, or that teachers don’t show up in lessons at all? What if firefighters and healthcare workers decide to skip their work whenever they feel like doing so? Infrastructures would fail, and the society would crumble. Some of our duties are more difficult and tiring than others. However, you should be more responsible when you have more important work. ‘With great power comes great responsibilities.’ Each of us has our own role and responsibility to take in society while we enjoy the many rights and privileges at the same time.
4L
23 November 2023