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The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem. ~ Anonymous ~

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concepts:responsibility
Approved 13 August, 2022 @ 8:07am by Jan Viljoen (version: 10)

Personal Responsibility

We can only take responsibility for ourselves, the words we speak, how we act and what we think.

We are NOT… and I repeat… NOT responsibleplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigIs having an obligation to do or having control over something. Being the primary cause of something and to be blamed or credited for the consequences of what is said and done. Thus, being ANSWERABLE for your words spoken and actions or deeds done. for the words, actions and thinking of othersplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnd YES... others implies everybody, and it does include our children as well. , we are merely accountable for other people. However…

In life - as human beings - we all strive for simplicity , but yet we are determined to create, initiate, establish and maintain a kazillion laws, contracts, rules, regulations and/or political, economical, social and bureaucratic structures to control, rule and direct every possible relationship of mankind. From simple actions such as buying bread, milk, what to eat or a video machine, to more involved matters such as buying a car, house or studying, up-to-the more complex decisions such as choosing a career, selecting a partner for life, how to educate our children, starting a business venture and even how, who, when and where to worship.

All the rules, regulations and structures are energetically and subtly created devices that we establish to hide behind. To avoid and effectively camouflage our personal responsibilities and which also enables us to shift our personal responsibility - for choices made - to someone or something else . In the end, we could safely declare our “victimhood”, because we were “manipulated” in our decision making by “factors” well beyond our control that “forced” us to take certain decisions and act on it.

It is our Divine given right to exercise our freedom of choice to compile and sustain a personal Code of Honour and a Code of Ethics. However, every day millions of people work hard, with determination and with great effort to restrict our choices, and we… we actively support and are immensely grateful to them and appreciate what they are doing, because they are doing it for “the common and greater good of man”. Unfortunately, these “rule and law improvements” frequently are only a means and strategy to avoid personal responsibility for our own choices and actions. A means to avoid a personal Code of Honour and a Code of Ethics. In the end, it allows us to declare our innocence, declare being a victim of.. and claim to be manipulated by someone or something beyond our control, things such as the bill of rights, the constitution, the law, society, culture, rules, the church, …etc. All this effort, just because we want and demandplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAs history has proven - time and time again - with wars, revolutions, various forms of resistance and defiance. freedom of choice, but we do not want to also accept the personal responsibility that goes along with exercising our freedom of choice.

All that we need are basic rules of life, to serve as the very foundation of our philosophy of life. So very simple - but yet so utterly complicated - because, we want to simultaneously avoid the responsibilities and negative/harmful consequences that always accompany our freedom of choice. We want to decide for ourselves; but when things go wrong… we want to be able to blame someone or something else. Thus, we want to remain independent, without acknowledging that all things on this beautiful planet of ours are somehow interconnected and we are consistently disrupting that integrated harmonious relations by insisting to exercise our “selfish-ego-driven choices”, sometimes with the justification that what we do, are in the best interest of others. In doing so we complicate life, that otherwise could have been quite simple, straight forward and peaceful. However, when we acknowledge and accept interdependency as an integral part of our personal Code of Conduct and Ethics, we will make life a whole lot easier, simpler and less complicated to deal with.

Our Divine Creator provided us with 10 basic commandments and when integrated as an integral part of our personal ethosplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigI.e. a lived by philosophy of life and to walk our talk. , it would make life a lot simpler and less complicated to deal with. These basic “laws” have stood the test of time and were proven - over and over, year after year - as basic universal principles to establish and sustain harmonious and interdependent interaction with our environment, society and the community we belong to. Furthermore, these basic commandments are echoed throughout human history and surface in almost all religious writings and religions all around the globe, from Wicca… to Christianity… to Islam…

These basic and universal “commandments” can be “reworded” into modern-day terms and we will see that it is as valid for today, as it was when it was first recorded. These “commandments” stand today as the greatest testimony of the individual freedom of people that was ever recorded in human history, and probably will be recorded in the future. And, this includes the well-meaning human compiled interpretations, such as a variety of legal documents and the bill of human rights as presently accepted and implemented by many countries around the world. Each of the “commandments” is addressing the individual as a self-controlling and self-disciplined individual, that is solely responsible for his/her thoughts, words and actions, manifesting in his/her accountabilityplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAccountability

Many people view and responsibility as the same thing, leading to many misunderstandings and unnecessary conflicts. The dictionary meaning - in short - of responsibility is “the state of being held as the cause of something that needs to be set right
towards the community, society and the environment at large. Thus, it explicitly describes and indicates how we should express and deploy our self-determination, without adversely affecting or harming the self-determination of another.

Each “commandment” recognize the freedom of choice as inherently to man's nature, BUT ALSO - and this is the part that we conveniently ignore - focus on individual responsibility and the Personal Responsibility to others. Thus, everybody - children included - has the Divine given right to the freedom of choice BUT also emphasizes the responsibility to accountably respect, accept and protect the freedom of choice of others.

The fundamentalplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigFundamental Principles

...~ Mark Victor Hansen.

responsibility DO SOMETHING obstaclesADKAR-change modelgrowingevolvingperson

fill empty mindsalchemizeby focussingcontextualunderstanding

Remember that patience is a virtue
and universal principles that directplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTo manage or guide by advice, helpful information, instruction, ...etc. and to regulate the course of... and conserveplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigCommandments for the protection of our harmonious togetherness. Obey them and goodwill prevails. Disobey them and suffer the consequences. all human interactions on this planet and beyond can be indicated as follows…

  1. HONOUR our Creator: It tells every one of us to reject a multitude of idols, to recognize our worth as human beings (created in the image of the Divine) and subject ourselves to no power… other than that of our Creator, the Almighty and final Judge.
  2. The TRUTH shall set us free: Informs us to construct no image of perceived rightness, but to direct our reverence towards the Divine truth. Thus, each person is free to decide, BUT s/he will be held responsible and accountable for his/her choices, words, deeds and actions. In essence, all choices we make and decisions we take… have consequences!
  3. We ought to SUBMIT ourselves to the authority of our Creator: This instructs us not to speak frivolously of our Creator and Judge. We must obtain knowledge of and respect for the ultimate truth - the faith, the hope, compassion, loyalty and love - this is of first and last importance (the alpha and omega) and should always be taken VERY… Very… very seriously.
  4. Digest, Reflect and Assimilate: It request us to devote time (at least 1 day out of seven days) to reflect on things of ETERNAL value. Things such as the Divine Will of our Creator, His mercy in whom we trust and the many blessing that we receive every day.
  5. Sanctuary of the family: This recognizes the family as the primary and most important human interaction and focuses on the parent's compassionate authority over the child; the authority to guide, teach and show him/her (through setting an example) the way to fit into society, according to our Creator's will and what He expects of us as human beings created in His image.
  6. Respect all life: This stresses the sanctity of life - especially human life - and our right to live, which is a right that must be respected and not violated by another human being. This also holds true for other species, plants and insects on our planet as well. Never kill without due course or provocation.
  7. Keep your promises: This establishes the basic platform for all human interactions; the inviolability of promises given by one individual to another, …it is the double sanctity of marriage, which is the basis of the family.
  8. Refrain from being corrupt and stealing: Recognize the right of the individual to own possessions; providing we have worked for and earned it in an honourable manner, and also respect the possessions of others for which they have worked hard in an honourable manner.
  9. Watch our thoughts and words: Inherently recognize free speech, our control over our utterances and our obligation towards the truth.
  10. Right of ownership: Again this recognizes the right of family relations and ownership. And not even in thought should we violate the rights of others. Thus, the longer we entertain such thoughts, the stronger the temptation becomes, and the easier it is to take such decisions and ultimately ACT on them.

These 10 commandments are an amazing set of statements ever written BUT were they too revolutionary for the ancient Israelites to accept them? They wanted - and eventually insisted - on an earthly king to take the responsibility, rather than following a personal code of conduct and ethics. Even to this day we still want a “king” that can ultimately rule and decide what is best for us. Thus, voluntary limiting our inner power and personal freedom, empowering others to take responsibility on our behalf and place our trust in them to keep us safe from harm and to remain honest.

Days should speak, and a multitude of years should teach us wisdom. But there is a spirit in man, the inspiration of our Creator that gives us understanding… if we care enough to actually listen.

concepts/responsibility.txt · Last modified: 13 August, 2022 @ 8:07am by Jan Viljoen