Today’s “random thought” is a little lengthy. Those words got wingsagainJ. Don’t really want to clip them when the words flow. So rather put it aside when you have a bit more time.
Over the last couple of weeks the subject on responsibility and what it entails popped up during a lot of conversations. It made me think about it in more detail and I decided to share some thoughts around it.
So many times we all have our own perception of what a specific word means. To avoid confusion on this one (although we all know what it means) I went to look up the definition via google.
Definition responsibility:
· The state or fact of having a duty to deal with something.
· The state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something.
Why are we taught to take on responsibility ourselves? We are all responsible for things happening in our lives. No one else can take on the responsibility of making decisions on our behalf as they do not end up living with the consequences after the fact. We can ask for advice but ultimately we have to face the music.
When are we supposed to start taking on responsibility in our lives?
It all depends on what the responsibility is. Let’s use kids for example. We give them chores as they mature. After leaving school and starting work parents might let them pay for their own cars or even rent. It is a good thing as they eventually have to stand on their own two feet. But we shouldn’t let them take on too much too soon. Kids don’t get to be kids anymore like we used to be some time back (not going to give too much detail here and give away theage J). If we look at teenage suicides these days then we might want to reconsider how much pressure we let them take on. Not all kids are the same so this is where discernment comes in. I am not a parent myself but remember we were all kids once and can therefor speak from experience. Even now I still need advice from my mom sometimes, so parents the fact that you need to relieve some of the stress placed on your kids never changes and they need to know that you will always be there, no matter what.
Should we take on other people’s responsibilities?
This question is not always easy to answer. Especially after making the above statement of always being there. There are however things that people need to deal with themselves. For them to be independent. They need to be accountable for their actions. Remember the Chinese proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This is now where discernment comes in. We sometimes know when we need to intervene and help someone in need, but there are also times when people need to sort things out themselves. How else are they supposed to learn?
Who am I responsible for in life?
We must always remember that our first responsibility in life is towards ourselves. If we don’t learn to prioritise and sort out our own things then how are we supposed to be capable of helping other people? Don’t try to carry other people’s burdens, take on a load that is too heavy and in the process prevent yourself from carrying your own.
Figure out what your responsibilities in life are and tackle them head on. Only then can you decide what other responsibilities you might have to help people with.
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