Responsibility

Responsibility, as a word, is often tied to weighty financial and moralistic concepts. In some contemporary social contexts, reference to responsibility triggers groans and eye-rolling sarcasm. Perhaps this is related to the association of the word with fiscal and social conservatives who have appropriated it for political gain. Closer examination by the skeptical often belies the use of the word by these same Bible-thumping, checkbook closing politicians. Responsibility when touted by liars is simply hypocrisy.

Responsibility, as I see it from a humanist perspective, is closely linked to responsiveness. I do maintain that following law in fiscal and civil matters is responsible when the law itself is responsive to science and rational debate. Responsibility is the daily social sense is another aspect of the term. 

In the daily social world, responsibility from my humanist perspective is based firmly in responsiveness to the feelings, needs and behaviors of those in my environment. Being engaged in an honest and open way is the key element of this responsibility. Trusting my own feelings and processing of those feelings in my environment allows me to be responsive without being overly defensive. This in turn fosters my own responsible actions in my environment. 

Learning to discern my role in my environment from situation to situation requires attention, self-examination and the courage to engage in dialogue. There are situations in which dialogue may prove useless. In these, simply removing myself from the situation is the responsible thing to do. Being responsible is a process of personal development within the law and social conventions of civility.  Law and social conventions depend on the active responsible engagement of those in society. Compassionate practice is a form of that engagement.