Responsibility

The line between personal responsibility and societal responsibility has been blurred for some time in the U.S.. The current presidential election seems to be centered on this issue. The Republican candidates maintain that greater personal responsibility, which they see tied to selfishly accumulating personal wealth, would heal the ills of overpopulation and growing degradation of resources. The Democratic candidates see the government as responsible for facilitating the solution to society's big problems. 

Neither political group is adequately addressing the underlying issues of environmental degradation and the growing population which is becoming increasingly impoverished, the inevitable result of unplanned  human reproduction among the undereducated. So, neither party is responsible. 

I fear we are in an age of diminishing understanding of what is responsible. Everything, even hard science, is endlessly debated by people who would not be able to describe the elemental components of the air they breathe. Parents treat children as buddies and provide little discipline or role-modeling of social decorum. Elders spend time and money on trying to be twenty-five again. Health care for all is begrudged by a majority of the population. Nearly everyone feels they should not pay taxes. 

A culture of cheating and cutting lines is the inevitable result of the loss of social responsibility in the populace. Look at the ancient civilizations of Persia, India and China. Learn about their ascensions and declines. You will see what I mean. Greece and Rome later followed the same course. 

The corruption of American society is in process. Diminished resources for schools, municipal maintenance of infrastructure and public safety bring consequences. Resentment of government is in part resentment of civic responsibility. Irresponsible parents scold strangers who try to educate their unruly children. Police do not intervene when simple acts of antisocial behavior, including violence, are committed under their noses. There is little easy social interaction between strangers on the streets of cities. 

Being responsible requires being responsive. A society of strangers, sealed off by smart phones and earplugs, cannot be responsive and responsible. Lack of engagement guarantees chaos when disaster strikes.   Personal responsibility goes beyond looking pretty and having a shiny car. It entails developing a personality which can cope with change and promote good in society through the acts of daily living. My humanist practice requires me to be responsive and responsible wherever I am in my life.