Humanistic Paradigm of Success

The Humanistic Paradigm of Success

Although to some extent humans are products of our environments, personal responsible is still essential for our individual success and development. In the humanistic philosophy, the main belief is that "human beings are capable of making significant personal choices within the constraints imposed by heredity, personal history, and environment" (Elias & Merriam; Philosophical Foundations of Adult Education). It removes the concept of supernatural power and puts an emphasis on personal responsibility combined with free will, leading to self-actualization. As a college student, I find that defining myself as a humanist motivates me by placing myself solely accountable for my own decisions, and in turn, my own success.

I define personal responsibility as the realization that I am the only one who has control over my life, and that my choices and actions have consequences. Physics state that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. My life is a direct reflection on who I am and the choices I have made. In order for life to be efficacious, besides taking personal responsibility for my actions, I believe in virtue, or moral excellence. Humans are not innately evil. By making choices which are morally right that will benefit me as well as my fellow man, I am setting not only myself, but also future generations, up for success. Hand-in-hand with virtue is integrity, which is merely honesty combined with ethical behavior. By choosing to live by these principles, which I believe to be my personal responsibility as a human, I am making myself a productive and successful member of society.

Unfortunately, societal and political views do not always align with this way of thinking. There is a huge argument in the mainstream public against personal responsibility. The idea is that humans are limited in their choices, based upon their environment, religious views, economics, and culture (Kent Greenfield; The Myth of...