“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
We all want to raise responsible young people and live near responsible neighbors, and we want people to be responsible for their own actions and choices. When bad things happen, the first question we usually ask is, “Who’s responsible for this?” A lack of accountability is one of the reasons we’re all frustrated with government on so many levels, from the price of eggs to where do our tax dollars actually go.
The flip side is that we also don’t want anyone to tell us what we can and can’t do. Ever. In fact, being told to do something triggers a decidedly adolescent reaction, even if it’s something that is good for us in the long run.
Wanting to be responsible, and to be around responsible people, presents a conundrum when what we want to do causes trouble or harm to others. That’s how we end up with laws and mandates that leave us all shaking our heads in disbelief. Like, WHY did this need to be a law, isn’t that common sense? The answer is often because some yahoo (or a collection of inconsiderate, ignorant yahoos) decided being irresponsible was a good option…. Laws about littering, spitting on the sidewalk, drinking and driving, etc. are good examples.
So what is responsibility?
Words, at least in English, are like building blocks. There are roots and prefixes and suffixes that combine to create new words with new meanings. I think we all know that, but when it comes to familiar words we use often, we don’t necessarily take the time to take them apart.
The root word in responsible comes from the Latin word respondere, meaning to “respond, answer to, promise in return.” The suffix “-ity adds the meaning “condition or quality of being.” So, responsibility is the quality of responding, answering, or promising in return.
“You have a responsibility to ______” or “You are responsible for ______” varies depending on your customs, culture, preferences, history, religious beliefs, age, citizenship, marital status, system of government, etc. Who is responsible for what is a variable, not a set standard, which adds to the complexity that surrounds responsibility, especially in a society where freedom, individual expression, and liberty are highly valued.
When the expression of our personal liberty interferes with the personal liberty of others it creates a slippery slope that can go too far, too fast in a hurry. Pretty soon everyone is trying to legislate what they want everyone else to be responsible for according to their own variables. That doesn’t work well.
The simple solution is a one-liner we’re all familiar with, and yet fail to put into practice far too often: The Golden Rule, also known as the “ethic of reciprocity,” is a universal principle that appears in all major religions, philosophies, and schools of thought. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Easier said than done, obviously, but since we’re in the season of setting goals and intentions and making resolutions, perhaps that’s one we should put at the top of the list.
