This article is not what you think it is. It’s not blasting Miley or pop culture in general. It’s not another critique of our times and the ways in which our society is going downhill. We get enough of that stuff elsewhere. The title was meant to get your attention. Now that I have it, what is it that we can and will stop? I’d like to begin a conversation about personal responsibility.

SHIFTING BLAME FOR OUR ACTIONS

College life can be tough. There are tests to take, papers to write and films to shoot. It is often easy to blame these things for our negative attitudes and the ways in which we interact with people. Even as professing Christians, we fall victim to the trap of shifting blame for our actions. We are either tired, hungry or have something to complain about. It is easy to be negative. But, it takes conscious and persistent effort to be positive and uplifting. Imagine what the world would be like if no one complained. It is hard. There is so much of it in our culture.

"NO BLOCKING"

At the Biola Media Conference a couple years ago, there was a former Disney Imagineer that talked about how they brainstormed for new theme park ideas. One of their rules was called “no blocking.” They would have a bowl in the middle of the conference room and every time somebody said an idea was bad they would have to put a dollar in the bowl. In real life, blocking comes in the form of negativity, holding grudges, acting out of fear and giving into our insecurities. Imagine if event services were to put a “no blocking bowl” in a central location like Fluor Fountain. How quickly do you suspect Biolans would fill up that bowl with George Washingtons? Would it take the new parking structure crane to lift it out? And no, the bowl doesn’t accept flex points.

WEIGHTY WORDS

Our words carry weight and negative jokes, sarcasm and gossip affect the people around us. Let’s take responsibility for our actions seriously. Facebook and Twitter shouldn’t be viewed as a mask to hide behind. Our profiles represent us and, believe it or not, people do take online activity seriously. Also, I’m not sure why we are so drawn to giving out anonymous compliments. If we are going to put forth the effort to compliment someone, don’t we want them to know who it’s from? As for blame, negativity and anonymity, I believe that not only can the Biola community stop, but we will stop. For if we are to truly be followers of Jesus Christ, we should have no fear in accepting the responsibility for who we are and what we do because our identity is in Christ. That should be a great motivation to conquer any fears that would cause us not to become the people we are called to be.