Jonathots Daily Blog
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Responsibility.
The ability to be responsible.
Sounds just a trifle old-fashioned. For after all, in this modern era, how can we determine the true height and depth of our ability? And likewise, what are we responsible for, given that our power is limited by the circumstances of the world around us?
Yet many years ago, when Darren and Karen (with rhyming names), after twelve years of marriage, suddenly found themselves on the verge of a divorce because Darren was spotted at a motel twenty miles away, with the high school choral teacher…
Well, literally the whole affair set our village ablaze with controversy, disagreement, judgments and opinions.
Karen was greatly wounded by the sexual misconduct of her assumed loving husband, but was also warned by the local minister that divorce was a “horrible sin in the eyes of God,” and that their two children could be damaged beyond repair if there wasn’t some way to bring about reclamation to their relationship.
Darren was embarrassed—almost appeared to be sorry, until three weeks after the temporary patch-up of their marriage, he was again spotted, at a different motel, with the choir lady–just humming along.
Darren and Karen decided their responsibility was to stay married.
Their further responsibility was to pretend it was working out really well.
No one would put up with such restrictions nowadays.
We’ve come up with the notion that our only responsibility is to be happy, and then, because we can’t seem to be, we permit ourselves many experiments to attempt to uncover our pleasure.
Meanwhile, responsibility has been carted away to the garage and set next to other words, which also seem to have no current relevance. Like “sinner”—that being one who gets too near sin.
Time pushes on.
Or does it march?
Perhaps slip on its greasy surroundings?
Or does time do a Rip van Winkle and just go to sleep, and wake up later, when the problem that existed is no longer considered problematic?
For we used to have a responsibility to tell the truth.
Now we have a responsibility to offer a convincing lie.
We had a responsibility to love our fellow-man. Now, all we have to do is “treat our families really good.”
We had a responsibility to feel guilty about the bigotry that existed in our country. Now we accept a cultural divide, which keeps us from thoroughly understanding one another.
We had a responsibility to be honest in our business practices.
Now we favor the old saying, “Let the buyer beware.”
Perhaps that’s what we should do at this season in our nation—have a deep-rooted discussion about our responsibility.
Jonathots Daily Blog 