Self-Respect and Responsibility

A few days ago I spoke with a woman whose college freshman son shared his concern about what appears to be the prevailing weekend activity at school.  He characterized it as:

“Everybody gets drunk and then everybody gets laid.”

He shared with his mother that he was with a VERY DRUNK young woman.  “I could have taken advantage of her but I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself…and aside from that, we know you and dad would have killed me.”

Several of the guys teased him about his “missed” opportunity.

Somewhere along the way this young man learned the value of respecting yourself as well as another person.  He “got” that each of us shares responsibility when we are faced with the choice of taking advantage of another person who may or may not be acting responsibly.

The other guys have the concept of “missed opportunity” backwards.