What It Means To Be Responsible

In today's blog I want to review a word which is a basic underpinning of these ruminations, which is, "responsibility."  The primary definition given is, "the state of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one's power, or control..." (Dictionary.com)

As indicated by the above and most definitions, as well as in most common usage's of the word, the focus tends to be on the implication of guilt; that is, a negative connotation, of some kind of lack or failing, or having committed some antisocial act.  Recent examples abound wherein the emphasis, after-the-fact of  major events making the news, is to determine who or what is responsible and to determine what must be forfeited by the responsible party or parties.

A major problem with this emphasis is that rarely is the bigger picture examined, whether it is an individual, group, organization, or society that contributed to the resulting situation.  A major example, for many years, which we have been made to witness, for those who have been paying attention, is the controversy about global warming, or, as it has come to be called, "climate change."   The "debates," can be broken down into two major camps: 1) it exists, as opposed to it doesn't exist; and, 2) it is being caused by humans, as opposed to, it's the result of natural, cyclical changes having nothing to do with human activity. 

There seems to have been a lessening of the extreme voices disclaiming any change, as well as those denying human responsibility for the environmental extremes and changes we humans have been witnessing as more and more people have had to live through unusual severe weather conditions..

The debunkers have, however, managed to delay any efforts those claiming human activity as being  responsible made to try to mitigate the problem.  Personally, in my view, it is too late in the game for discussion, all beings on this planet must now deal with the consequences. 

Just as with the smaller social events, with major natural catastrophes we, who like to consider ourselves to be innocent bystanders, have increasingly been made to deal with the aftermath's of them as best we can.  

Another aspect of this topic of responsibility, and trying to identify the roots of our problems, is the love affair many citizens of this country have with guns.  Personally, I think our National problem with guns and violence has its roots in our Wild-West-frontier, every-man-for-himself, heritage.  However, for many, the argument boils down to whether guns kill people, or its that people kill people, and we just need to lock-up the bad people.  

 

Since the recent serious movement to rid our society of guns started, millions upon millions of people in this country have been buying guns, but finding it harder and harder to find the bullets to shoot them. Meanwhile, gun dealers are gloating over this result of the effort to ban assault weapons, in particular, a measure which has, apparently, failed to pass in Washington.

 

A related issue is that our country's Homeland Security Department has recently purchased millions of bullets as well as thousands of tanks for potential use here in the United States.  (I wonder, is this a sign that our government has become afraid of a citizenry which has collected millions of assault weapons and other guns?)

As with other of our social ills, are we planning to extend the nostrum of, "If you drink, drink responsibly," and "If you gamble, gamble responsibly," to "If you shoot a gun, shoot responsibly," to keep our personal world safe? 

 

How can a country which has wholeheartedly embraced guns and killing in fact, as well as fantasy, consider itself civilized?  I think not.

So saying, I end this blog.

Shirley Gallup