Responsibility

Living from a core awareness of personal responsibility is very challenging in a civilization which increasingly sees responsibility only in terms of dollars and cents. Materialism is not responsible. Hedonism is not responsible. These movements in the current civilization of the developed world have brought us to the brink of environmental collapse of the planet.

The materialist lives under the delusion that as long as he can afford something, he is being responsible in having it or doing it. This is at the root of American piggishness with the planet's natural resources. Other countries, such as India, Brazil and China, now seek to imitate America's bad example. This is catastrophic.

When the flow of material and hedonist pleasures is terminated, as it must inevitably be with overpopulation and diminishing resources, the materialist is left with nothing. No resourcefulness, no personal peace, no self-sustaining joy. Frankly, the materialist works hard at producing his own misery in such circumstances.

Being human in the fullest sense is to be a socially engaged and responsible being. Obsession with personal gratification breeds mental dysfunction and social isolation. Groups which cohere around hedonistic pleasures are simply cultish cliques, even if they maintain a veneer of respectability.

Each moment entails decisions which either enhance or detract from a development of responsible living. From dietary decisions to decisions about activities of daily life, the practitioner of responsible living maintains an awareness of what is best for himself, his society and his planet. With this practice, these decisions become clearer and clearer. With that clarity come simplicity, peace and joy.