About Responsbility

Paul Jonna, Acting Editor in Chief

Responsibility is more than a word. It is a behavior that requires steadfast determination to choose the best path possible under the circumstances, which may not always be the easiest path. It requires hard choices in times that are not easy. It’s a state of holding yourself accountable – for your actions and decisions that will impact your life and others for years.

Some of us shoulder our responsibilities with astounding grace, such as Judge Hala Jarbou, who feels the responsibility to answer to and protect the community she presides over (now the Western District of Michigan). Responsibility is nothing new to Judge Jarbou as she exuded it throughout her life and career, which placed her in a position to make history for our community as the first Chaldean federal judge. Her reputation for hard work and unwavering ethics earned her the new role, and you can bet she takes that responsibility seriously.

Consider the responsibility we have as parents. We not only need to teach our ‘littles’ everything they need to be a success in life, but we need to watch over them and make sure they prosper as adults. Part of being a parent is protecting them from outside dangers, but we also must provide them with the necessary tools to be responsible for their actions and their deeds.

In today’s world, responsibility is more important than ever with a changing world, worldwide pandemic, economic uncertainty and a U.S. presidential election, we need to be held accountable for both what we do and what we don’t do, or more accurately, won’t do. We must continue to be responsible as a community during this pandemic. It is a hard decision to not attend a loved one’s wedding, funeral or special occasion. I miss the days of the large family gatherings with everyone’s hands in the dolma (I am actually OK with the hands not being in the dolma) and everyone piled on the couches screaming at each other. These are hard choices that we hope will lead to ending this pandemic and saving lives. It is responsible to take the necessary precautions and follow the governmental guidelines to protect our future.

I’d also like to address voting, as it’s more a responsibility than a right. We have a responsibility to our fellow Americans, to our children and their future children, to get this right. Get informed on the issues and the candidates to ensure you make an educated choice based on your responsible research and not on partisan politics. No matter who you vote for, please vote. It’s when the people stopped voting that Rome fell. As we head into fall and a hotly contested presidential race, consider your responsibility to protect yourself and your loved ones from coronavirus, plus your responsibility to the greater nation and vote.

With Gratitude,

Paul Jonna

Acting Editor in Chief