05
Apr
2006
Responsibility
I read a great article today on high school proms that I found very touching. Last fall two Catholic high schools cancelled their senior proms because of a problem of "financial decadence" that the principal was becoming too commonplace with each year's prom. It seems that many of these kids whom come from wealthy and affluent families were going overboard with the amount of money that they were spending for prom. The article reported a recent development in which the students themselves banded together to form an alternative. One that would not only be modest cost-wise, but also would allow them to celebrate their four years of high school achievements.
This whole story shows a lot of responsibility, not just on the principal and the leaders of the high school, but also on the students. The principal was willing to go against the grain in order to correct a moral problem regarding financial ostentation. While many didn't see a problem with this, the decision demonstrates a desire to shoot down pride. But the greatest encouragement for me was the choice of the students to find an alternative that would not only respect the decisions of the school leaders, but would also allow them to celebrate in a way that respects the values of the school. I believe that that shows a lot of humility, which in fact, is true greatness. In the end, both parties get what they want without any compromise of moral values.
I wish that we could see more evidences of this kind of responsibility in today's society. It is always encouraging to see people do what is right and honorable, rather than what they feel they want to do. I don't say this because I have figured it out. But rather as a reminder to myself that I need to continue to strive for this. These are the stories that give hope, and hope is a great thing.
