Three brothers had a fun evening together Three brothers had a fun evening together. One of them put several pieces of wood on the fire in the stove before they went to bed. A couple of hours later, the fire was out of control. In his miserable state, one of the brothers panicked and jumped out of a second-story window. Another, with amazing calmness, found his way to a door and got out safely.

Later, a firefighter found the third boy by a bedroom window Later, a firefighter found the third boy by a bedroom window. He died from smoke inhalation. Many people asked, “Didn’t anyone try to get him out?” And the same answer was given, again and again: “We thought ‘somebody else’ went in to help him!”

An unknown author wrote a clever and brief story about the consequences of such irresponsible thinking. It was a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Do you rely on a mysterious person you refer to as Somebody Else Do you rely on a mysterious person you refer to as Somebody Else? It is amazing how most of us rely on this unidentifiable person on a regular basis. We say, “I’m sorry I left the door open, but I figured Somebody Else would lock it up.” Nobody else did.

We are responsible for our own actions even when we choose to do nothing and count on Somebody Else to take over our own responsibility in the face of need. There is no difference between turning your back on your duty and denying the fact that life itself requires daily decisions. None of us can escape the challenge of life—daily decision-making. When we try, we will have to take the consequences of our irresponsibility.

On the other hand, young people who refuse to avoid their duty have better chances to achieve purposes larger than themselves. Their inner cry is “What can I do?” not “What will Somebody Else do for me?” John F. Kennedy made a statement: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” This is the philosophy that can break the dependency on Somebody Else. Ask yourself, “What can I do for that person who needs my help?”

Once I responded to the plea of a paraplegic girl who had a deep desire to go to Hawaii. After I made sixty phone calls on her behalf, thirty-eight people responded with various amounts of money. Within a week, I was staring in amazement at checks totaling one thousand dollars. It was a miracle. Many Somebody Elses helped me, to be sure, but someone had to make those calls and take care of the details in the process of bringing about the miracle.

If you wish to be in control of your lives more than you actually are, reducing the dependency on others will give you a jump start and help you feel better about yourselves. Instead of saying, “I need Somebody Else to get me started,” motivate yourself by saying, “I have a self-starter in me; I’ll use it!”

There is no use relying on the mysterious Somebody There is no use relying on the mysterious Somebody. Say to yourself, “I have special gifts, and I’m going to use them” instead of “Somebody Else has so much going for him or her.” Decide for yourself that you will be that Somebody today, and stop counting on anyone else to be that Somebody for you.

You can achieve certain things that not Anybody can do You can achieve certain things that not Anybody can do. Once you believe and realize this, Nobody can put you down or discourage you unless you let him or her do so. Therefore, is Somebody Else really so important after all?