Month: May 2016

Richard Niebuhr, a bright theologian, from the early 1900’s wrote a number of books on theology, ethics, and inherent responsibility.  He once described his theory of responsibility as having four parts: response, interpretation, accountability, and social solidarity.  The ideas Richard brings to the table are exemplified in Khaled Housseini’s book, The Kite Runner, through the actions of the main character, Hassan.

 

Baba was the father of the two sons, Amir and Hassan. After he married, his wife had Amir.  Baba then committed adultery and ended up with a second son, Hassan. Since adultery is seen as a sin in Islam, Hassan was never recognized by Baba as a true son and was therefore hidden from the world in a sense. Due to these circumstances, Hassan would lead a life in the shadows, not being recognized for his responsibility.

The first part of responsibility is response. A popular tournament in Afghanistan where the story takes place, involves kite running. Everyone takes their kites and tries to run into the strings of other kites to knock them out of the sky. The normal response if a kite falls out of the sky is to run it down and keep it as a de facto trophy. When Amir went kite running and knocked down a kite, Hassan responded by running it down for him. The problem with the choice of action was that it would endanger him.

The neighborhood bully, Assef, cornered Hassan after he ran into an alley in an attempt to retrieve the kite. Assef asked for the kite and Hassan said, “Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite.” Hassan interpreted Assef’s question as meaning that Assef wanted the kite, so he responded accordingly in a mor aggressive manner.  Assef then raped Hassan in the alley and did not take the kite.

Amir had ran after Hassan and stopped at the corner of the alley in fear when he realized that Hassan was not alone. Amir watched as Assef raped Hassan. Amir showed no responsibility and ran home. Hassan, who was showing responsibility and standing up for Amir to get the kite, was held accountable for his actions when he refused to give the kite to Assef. This accountability is the third part of Niebuhr’s “theory of responsibility.” Although Hassan did nothing wrong, his actions caused a terrifying response by Assef.

The fourth and final component of Niebhur’s “theory of responsibility” is a social solidarity. Social solidarity is the idea that people are interdependent. Amir and Hassan are a perfect example of this, Amir needs Hassan to be around when he is bored and to protect him when he is in danger. Hassan needs Amir to be his friend and return the favor of helping him when he is in trouble. When Hassan was about to be raped, he needed Amir’s help, but Amir had already left. Responsibility in Amir’s case meant intervening in that catastrophic situation to ensure Hassan would get away from Assef, but instead he ran.  Responsibility differs greatly among the two characters early on.  Amir attempts to make up for his poor choices later in life by saving Hassan’s son from danger.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a very strong personality.  He is emotionally stable, charismatic, extroverted, self-motivated, and intelligent.  Schwarzenegger’s emotional stability is part of the Big Five model.  Having emotional stability means that one resists thinking negatively and has few negative emotions.  Schwarzenegger’s extroversion is also part of the Big Five model.  Being extroverted means being outgoing, emotionally expressive, being more socially dominant, and having greater interpersonal skills.  All of the traits that I have listed for Arnold Schwarzenegger are the traits that make up great leaders.  Schwarzenegger’s emotional stability allows him to keep his stress level very low, while allowing him to enjoy his life and his job, both of which can be very strenuous.  Second, Schwarzenegger’s charismatic personality appeals to many people; it makes him a very likable person.  Schwarzenegger’s extroversion is a key factor that allows him to maintain and enjoy a leadership role.  It also promotes a high level of performance because he has the capability to interact with everyone more equally.  Schwarzenegger’s self-motivation is very important because it allows him to set any goal, no matter how far-fetched, and work towards it.  This also means that he is persistent in working towards whatever goal he chooses to set.  Finally, Schwarzenegger is intelligent.  He has ability to think logically and clearly under pressure; this, in turn, allows him to keep his focus when he needs it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s aforementioned traits were crucial to his ascent to his position as the governor of California.  He set the goal of becoming the governor, and began searching for ways that he could attain his goal.  He used his connections to educate himself on the roles of the governor and how to repair California’s economy.  Then, he used his likable personality to his advantage as he campaigned to become the governor.  Eventually, Schwarzenegger was elected governor.

There may be a dark side to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s charisma and leadership skills. In most of his movies, Schwarzenegger lives by the idea that rules don’t apply.  During his ascent to government, he was once quoted as saying that his opponent’s were “girly men”.  Now although this is not a huge deal, demeaning opponents is not really the correct way to campaign.  It was also stated in the case that he does not pay attention to political correctness.  The fact that he will do whatever he needs to do to attain a goal can be a bit scary since he has a great deal of political power and a number of powerful connections. So far, Schwarzenegger has done an amazing job in California, but he needs to remain mindful of his actions.

Schwarzenegger had a rough childhood. The combination of traits that he now possesses creates a very strong personality that is hard to influence.  When Schwarzenegger sets his mind on something, he does whatever he can to achieve his goal.  In the case, he was quoted as saying, “There is no one, and when I say no one, I mean no one, who will back me off my mission” (667).  I am not trying to suggest that he would do anything illegal, but trying to convince him to change whatever plan he has in mind may be very difficult.  Schwarzenegger’s strong personality might create communication problems between himself and his peers.  For example, Schwarzenegger might not see the issues that the teacher’s union brings up in the same light.  If Schwarzenegger’s interests happen to clash with the interests of the teacher’s union, it may take a while to find a resolution.