Why Responsibility Still Matters — From Garden Jobs to Life Expectancy
I needed some garden work done, but couldn’t manage it myself. The job would have taken me hours, and with arthritis I would have been in constant pain attempting it. So when three Traveller lads came to the door offering their services, I took a chance. They promised the job would be done properly, though I suspected they might let me down. In the end, the work was disappointing.
Yet the encounter left me with two things: first, some insight into how Travellers persuade and sometimes deceive; and second, some reflections on how and why they live as they do.
They put on a performance — persuasive, insistent, half-truthful. And I, for my part, was not simply a victim. I genuinely needed the work done. Another gardener had looked at the job earlier and mentioned £40 — but on reflection, and after consulting with his elders, he never came back. He had rightly judged it a horrible task that no one would take on for so little. So when these lads appeared, I decided to take the chance, knowing the price they asked was high but probably realistic, even if the promises were uncertain.
One thing I noticed was how the concern seemed to be payment rather than the work itself. That went some way to explaining why the job wasn’t done well — though, in fairness, youngsters usually make a mess of any serious job when left to it. They have to live like anyone else, but without the knowledge and experience needed to get regular work, even if they wanted it. What was clear is that they were active in combing the area for opportunities, taking whatever jobs they could find.
The sequel confirmed my suspicions. They returned the next day, claiming the weedkiller hadn’t worked and that they needed to apply more. Again they began pointing out other jobs that supposedly needed doing, even offering to “finish” the parts they had left undone — for more money. When I flatly told them I would pay not a penny more, the leader turned on his heels with a brisk “Let’s go.” And off they went — led, strangely enough, by the youngest boy, his arm in plaster from a fall off a bike — directing the older two towards their next exploit.
In the end, the job was about what I had expected. The leader struck me as more concerned with payment than with the quality of the work. Yet I had to acknowledge the effort of the boy who did most of the cutting. Using a battery-powered hedge trimmer, he worked awkwardly, bending down to slice through stubborn weeds. Looking at it later, I could see that quite a few of the weeds had in fact succumbed to the weedkiller. What rankled most was not the money, but the way the job was rushed through. Had they worked to the best of their ability for what they asked, I would have been satisfied. Instead, the aim seemed to be to finish as quickly as possible and demand payment.
It reminded me of a stark line from Genesis: “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (8:21). You don’t have to share any religious belief to see the truth in that ancient observation: from an early age, people can learn habits of bending rules, pushing limits, and even exploiting others. Yet that is not the end of the story. The parable of the Prodigal Son reminds us that people can change direction — they can turn back, see life differently, and take responsibility in a new way. I hope that will be true for boys like these, though I confess I also have my fears.
It also brought to mind a lyric from the Alan Parsons Project: “The boy with the stars in his eyes”. Many young people begin with hope and imagination, but those bright possibilities often run into the hard walls of exclusion, poor choices, and limited opportunity.
Traveller communities live under some of the bleakest statistics in Britain: life expectancy ten to fifteen years shorter than the national average, suicide rates up to seven times higher, and a prison population many times their share of society. These are not simply numbers on a page. They are the cumulative result of exclusion, limited opportunity, and habits of evasion that become a trap from one generation to the next.
Sometimes force is used to compel behaviour, and a sharp correction may even seem to work. But in the end, life itself delivers the harsher lessons. If people persist in choosing a negative path, the consequences will come — often more painful and less forgiving than any discipline imposed earlier. Life itself contains the hidden threats — the consequences of choices made or avoided.
Appeals to reason rarely succeed when aimed at getting other people to see their flaws. Most of us dig in when challenged. And in truth, I have enough of my own flaws to deal with without worrying too much about correcting others. Understanding usually comes less from argument than from experience, often bitter experience. Some people grow from it and accept responsibility; others delay or refuse, and the costs mount.
In earlier times, a lifespan of sixty-six years might have seemed unremarkable. But today, it is close to the average life expectancy of Travellers in Britain — more than a decade shorter than that of the general population. With advanced healthcare and routine diagnostics now widely available, preventable illness and early decline are easier to avoid.
And health is only one part of it. The principle is broader: we reduce risk in every area of life — health, work, family, society — by taking responsibility. Ignoring warning signs, blaming others, or relying on chance is a path to breakdown. Accepting responsibility is the only real safeguard. It does not remove risk, but it narrows the field where failure can strike.
This long view makes the point clear:
Britain’s Rising Life Expectancy
| Period | Average Life Expectancy at Birth | Notes / Causes of Change |
|---|---|---|
| Early 1800s (~1800) | ~40 years | High infant mortality, poor sanitation, unsafe water |
| Late 1800s (~1900) | ~47–50 years | Clean water, sewage systems, better nutrition |
| Mid 20th century (1950) | ~68 years | NHS founded, antibiotics, vaccines, improved housing |
| Late 20th century (2000) | ~77 years | Medical technology, rising living standards |
| Early 21st century (2020s) | ~79 (men), ~83 (women) | Preventive care, blood tests, but gains slowing |
Life expectancy has doubled in just over two centuries, but not by chance. Each step forward combined new knowledge with the responsibility to act on it.
Knowledge ignored is useless. Responsibility avoided is fatal. When the two come together, life expands.
Life is enlarged when knowledge and responsibility meet — not in some distant realm, but here, in the choices we make and the responsibilities we accept. The sooner that truth is grasped, the greater the chance of avoiding wasted years and needless suffering. On a personal level, it can mean a more fulfilled and independent life. On a broader scale, it is the only safeguard we have for the environment and the communities we depend on. Ignorance and evasion shrink life; responsibility broadens it — whether we are Travellers or bank managers.
