Responsibility

My mother has taught me since I was a little boy to comply with my commitments as well as to assume the consequences of my actions. This notion, within either a larger or lesser amplitude of concordance is quite common and I do believe that, in general, everybody has this perception regarding their tasks, jobs, and even home school.

Meanwhile, I also believe, but only by my pure observation, that this concept has been disconnected from the real and profound role it plays over less palpable things, or more subjective ones, although, totally linked to our decisions.

Deciding is an act of acknowledgement and understanding upon what we want against to what we can do or what we would never do. It is ratiocination (taking emotions on board in the equation as obvious) and it demands intelligence and wisdom but above all, courage.  

But what if when we decide to take a short cut, or to ignore a matter, or to deny a situation, or to procrastinate another one, or to wait for something dissolves it by itself, or to wait for somebody leaves, or for somebody returns while the reflexes of all this occurrences do produce unexpected events in the future. Can we accept or discern this? Are we able to take responsibility upon such mass?

I look at people suffering, outraged by the development of some issues, and I see them totally alienated from the responsibility that they have actually conducted their lives up to that point or yet, they have probably put themselves in there, in a collision route with an issue. It caught my attention how frequently people feel that life has been unfair, how destiny has betrayed them, when indeed they are just harvesting what they sowed.  

Accidents, cataclysms, and sickness a part, when we are taken by surprise and sorrow takes command of our lives, are we suffering for haven’t known how to decide or for not taking responsibility in assuming the consequences of our decisions?

I like to think that a man should not be judged by his infractions but for how he has tried to undo them, or fixing the damage. It is true that many times we do not have psychological structure to take a decision. Sometimes, we just don’t have enough acknowledgement of ourselves or yet, the subjectivity of the question is underestimated by ours own out of date or mistaken values and concepts.

So, part of the key to solve problems should be responsibility.

Assuming we have got a judgement wrongly. Assuming we rather let things just went out flying instead of taking control of them. Assuming that contempt, vanity, presumption, fear or stupidity were the forces we have allowed to get things where they are. By doing that, you would be removing from your shoulders all this esoteric weight that universe is conspiring against you. It allows us feeling a ground under our feet and realizing that, maybe, you find the right time to sort things out for good.

Confusing people, those who do not seek an alignment of ideas, some enlightenment, and wisdom, modulating their lives by routines that avoid them to live in plenitude, when confronted to consternations, sometimes recurrent issues that look like a person has been exposed and punished over and over again, they have a tendency to reinforce this very same behaviour based upon what they cannot let go, such as values, without realizing they are the very cause of a vicious cycle, an anchor.     

We should not impose a Kantian way of living upon ourselves (even if you sympathizes with it a lot like I do) and we should take it easier with ourselves too. After all, any thin material folds down or breaks up under pressure. But perhaps we also should not let many things getting accumulated and we should do a mental cleaning up more often. That would level us up so we could make more strong and truthful decisions and so, reducing future conflicts and on that way, responsibility and decision would have their hands together.

Whatever it works for you in order to have a more balanced life with a minimum of disadvantage. But it is just a thought anyway.

Wish you all a very responsible week!

Eduardo Divério.