AN ESSAY about: PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
8/19/2026
BY: George Patnoe.
Lesson about Personal Responsibility.
I was sitting on a downtown bench with my parrot on my shoulder. I was enjoying the moment when a 20-something year old male walked up to me, and he started talking openly to me about his life.
He starts explaining how he just got out of prison that day for defending himself in a violent fight. That is it how the conversation started.
Then he explains how he got 42 certificates in various topics in 2 years, which is why they let him out of prison. I am thinking good for him. If that was true, it is surely impressive. Even if they were only certificates.
He tells me how he needs to find a job and how he is staying with his brother. Lucky him, I am thinking as I feed my parrot a peanut butter cracker that he surely loves to eat after his tough job of staying on my shoulder during the 20-minute semi jog to the bench.
The guy tells me a few other facts about himself, but what I was reading about him was his body language and his facial expressions. They were a little off compared to the countless other people I had countless conversations with when I was downtown when people were interested in my parrot.
I couldn't tell if he was on drugs either for fun or medical reasons, but I was ready for any sudden movement towards me and my beloved parrot whom I would protect in ways you can't imagine.
But if he wasn't on drugs, I was thinking to myself, then something was probably wrong with him psychologically.
I told him his plan should be to stay out of prison, which seemed obvious enough, especially to him, I was guessing.
I asked him what his plans were for the immediate future besides looking for a job.
He blurted out of his mouth. I am going to depend on God. Well. That touched a nerve with me because even though there is nothing wrong with depending on God in the correct context, that could lead to a false sense of hopefulness but at least he was headed in the correct direction I thought to myself.
So, I replied. Probably too loudly. Remember to take personal responsibility for your actions.
His eyes widen, and his facial expression changed. Which meant I didn't know what was going to happen next because something was a little off about the guy.
He says. What?
I said. You have to take personal responsibility for your decisions from here on out. If someone tries to fight you.
Walk away no matter what. Because he had precisely stated to me, he had fought to defend himself, which is how he got into prison in the first place.
He is standing up, and I am still sitting down. So I stand up just so I can defend myself if he goes crazy for some reason. After all. My main goal was to protect my feathered buddy on my shoulder.
So, he says I am going to depend on God.
Now that I am on my feet, and body is ready for anything he might surprise me with. I reply. That is fine and good, but you still have to take personal responsibility for actions, which means don't blame God for your bad decisions.
He is staring at me like just maybe this was the advice he needed on his very first day out of prison. Which it was even if he didn't like my advice which seemed as if he actually didn't like that advice.
Many people don't like taking personal responsibility for their decisions whether it is getting drunk or smoking pot or driving drunk or too fast or both. Or killing someone in a car accident which could have been avoided if there was no drinking involved and the speed was legal.
I looked at him, wondering if he knew he who he was actually talking to in the first place on his first day out of prison. Of course, he didn't nor could he guess either for various reasons. But that was ok.
But I am thinking to myself he should take that advice just as if it was straight out of the mouth of God itself just for the sake of his future.
He slowly started to walk away as I started to walk down towards the river. I felt good about our conversation. I hope he remembers those words. Personal responsibility. For the rest of his long life, hopefully. He seemed like a nice guy who studied for his two years in prison which is why they let him out two years early.
I really wish the guy well with a good future.
But if I ever see him again. I am going to remind him of those words again. Personal responsibility.
AND SO SHOULD YOU!
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