Full and absolute responsibility

We have great admiration for leaders and people who have taken full and absolute responsibilities for their decisions, actions and results that arise from their charge or even those that are not a direct result of their doing, but consequences from subordinates.

Yes, they are the ones that take full responsibilities for direct or indirect results if for nothing more than honour and dignity. And then there are those that are blatantly cowards, leader whom we see over and again blaming others for just about anything that go wrong and taking credit undeservingly for things that do go right.

Okay, enough said of leaders and such. Once again, I would like to bring this matter to heart on a micro level and address it to everyone, myself included.

See, the essence of bearing full and absolute responsibility for one’s actions or inactions is the first step towards being honest with ourselves. Yes, there will be countless times that things seems to spin out of our sphere where circumstances can be seen as “partly” or “fully” to be blamed for. But in truth, it is our response to it that matters more and to be fully accountable for our decisions thereafter.

For example, if natural disasters strike, our first reaction is to blame God and all. Second comes the blame on environmental change brought about by irresponsible industrialist that exploit everything for monetary gains. Yes, all that is part to blame, even to a large extend also. But that has happened. But we also have to look deep inside ourselves to realize that the response and responsibility to rebuild lies solely in our hands.

Then there are other responsibilities that we must also take in full, regardless of how much it reveals our character flaws, both to the world as well as to ourselves. Yes, to live up to the expectations of a persona that is all good, morally upright and such can be tiring. We are all after all human and there is nothing good or morally upright about each of us and to have such high and lofty expectations of ourselves is nothing more than trying to play God.

True, we are all called to thread the footsteps of godliness, but that does not mean that we have to do so at the complete expense of being truthful. For then, that push to stay godly becomes a lie altogether.

See, the more we look introspectively at a mirror, the more we will come to the realisation that we are all imperfect. Hence, if we are to make decisions or even indecisions, let us be true to ourselves and admit that we do so because we want to do so and not because of circumstances and such.

Yes, circumstances may feel very much like the reasons for our distress and pain, but circumstances are innate. We, on the other hand have thoughts, emotions and feelings that separate us as human beings from lifelessness.

Only when we are able to do that that we will be taking full and absolute responsibility for everything and for our lives. Only then will honour and dignity mean what it should mean, regardless of how much mud and slime it may come with.