Who defines what a responsibility is?
Responsibility refers to the things that we «have» to do in our lives. Otherwise, we’ll have to deal with a specific consequence. Either we take on this responsibility and we end up with a result, or we do not take this responsibility and we end up with a different result. Usually, the latter comes with a lot of guilt and shame. For all the things that «happened» or «did not happen» because we didn’t take action.
What does this guilt mean anyway?
Does it mean that we surrendered control to something else to define the result? Does no action assume no responsibility? What if the action could not define the result after all? Are we still responsible? Are we responsible for everything that happens in our lives pretty much or for nothing at all?
Where does this responsibility live?
If we think about it, the only place where this responsibility is real is in our mind. If we don’t do the supposed action, chances are the world will still exist. The world will probably also exist in its usual form even if we do the supposed action and take responsibility. The feelings that will arise in both cases are no more or less a reality than the concept of responsibility itself.
So, does it make any difference?
If the result does not matter for the bigger scheme of events, why someone would take any responsibilities after all? Responsibilities usually suck. They’re not pleasant. They’re a burden that we must get through until we hit our next responsibility right around the corner. Wouldn’t it be nice to not have a care in the world?
Responsibility may not result in the ultimate control of things, but in one way or another, it offers some degree of control than it would if we simply reacted to everything that happens. Why is this sense of control important? Doesn’t it steal all the fun that way? There is something to note here. This control is our control. Our freedom to life. Our responsibility towards life. Of course, we could choose to live a carefree life and deal with the consequences. Or we could suffocate our lives with endless responsibilities.
Choosing the responsibilities that matter is probably one of the biggest challenges if someone wants to honor the freedom of life. This life is also in our minds. Noone else can perceive our reality as we do. So the meaning we assign to things won’t make any objective differences, but it can completely change the perspective towards our responsibilities.
Each responsibility doesn’t exist on its own. It exists in relation to us. This relationship will define whether this responsibility matters or not, and how it can be framed. Whether it is something burdensome or expanding. Whether it is worth to pursue or to surrender to the flow of events.
How do we choose our responsibilities and what does this say about how we choose to live our lives?
Days of Wonder 