“Have some integrity!” 

“Listen to your conscious!”

This is something that I’m sure has been ingrained into each of our minds since we were small children. Your mother always says, “remember the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated.”

For the most part, I know most of us let this go in one ear and out the other, but now as (for the most part) functioning adults, this is something that we as Tarleton State University Texans, and humans in general, need to adhere to now more than ever.

Accountability. One word with so much meaning. Merriam-Webster defines accountability as “An obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.”

One word out of that definition I would I would like to elaborate on, the word obligation.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “If I feel obligated to do something, but not actually want to do it, I might as well not do it right?” Wrong. You should feel good about being obligated to be a good person.

From my perspective, (once again, my perspective) accountability seems to be at an all-time low. Being apart of the “Me” generation, I witness many who think, “Well if it doesn’t have anything to do with me, it doesn’t matter, or it doesn’t exist. And I am here to tell you that you are 100 percent wrong. The world exists and continues to rotate whether you care about it or not.

This brings me back to my original point, holding yourself and others accountable. This is the only way to make the world an overall better place. It starts with you and you only.

It begins with you first realizing the privileges you have. Before you began to write me saying, “How dare you say I’m privileged?! I have busted my butt my entire life for everything I have! I was not fed with a silver spoon!”

Privileged does not equate to wealth or anything monetary value. Privilege is believing something doesn’t exist simply because it does not apply to you.

It begins by you correcting your friends and family when they are saying something blatantly offensive. Its actually hearing out and listening your friends of color (yes I’m going there) when they are airing out their grievances and frustrations they deal with being a POC, and not just brushing them off and telling them to get over it.

Guys, it starts with you helping end rape culture and NOT encouraging your friend to have sex with the way-passed-drunk girl at the party, because newsflash, that’s rape friend. Its also calling out your male friends for their misogynistic actions and/or words. It is not a woman’s job to end rape culture.

Its with you noticing when your friend has had too much to drink and maybe taking their keys or making sure they aren’t drinking anymore before they make a potentially deadly permanent decision during a temporary time.

On a more general note, because I’m sure you’re rolling your eyes at this point, accountability is about you seeing anyone in need of helping them. Not for accolades or a viral Facebook post, but because it’s the right thing to do.

To end this all, I’m not saying that you have to be out here retrieving cats from trees, or rescuing babies from burning buildings, (although that would be nice) I’m talking about just being the decent human being that your grandma would be very proud of, and making the world an overall better place for future generations to come. Live out the Core Values and recognize and reflect on your own privileges.