Responsibility

I am always struck by the constant discussion of responsibility and that it seems that most people are only willing to go part way in the discussion.

If you read people from the right they make arguments about personal responsibility. There is a sense that if people did what they were supposed to do and took care of themselves and their own, things would work out. When discussions get raised, however, about corporate responsibility, they grow squishy.

If you read people from the right they make arguments about corporate responsibility. There is a sense that we are all responsible for the well being of one another and if we take care of each other things will work out. When discussions get raised, however, about personal responsibility, they grow squishy.

It strikes me that people want responsibility on their own terms. It comes down to it is EITHER personal responsibility or corporate responsibility.

There is this little problem. The word responsibility is not a word, which by design, is meant to be narrowed. It is not a word that presents itself as a beacon of ideological thought. It is a word that stands by itself and demands accountability by itself.

Personal responsibility is vital. The world revolves because people do take personal responsibility. Law enforcement spends less time chasing down criminals if the vast majority of people take the personal responsibility to obey the law. When people do all the things society needs them to do, society does work well.

However, corporate responsibility is equally vital. Things do not always go well and often circumstances change for people and they are no longer able to care for themselves. It is often fashionable to blame the poor on being poor but most often this was not a personal choice. Life has a tendency to crash and burn for too many people to ignore.

From a faith perspective, both are vital. There is a seminal question early in the Bible after Cain kills his brother Abel. God asks Cain the location of Abel and Cain responds, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

God’s question was two-fold. First, God knew where Abel was and what had happened to Abel. It was a call of accountability to Cain. On the other hand, the response of Cain, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” is a question that is answered throughout the rest of the Bible, and the answer is ‘yes.’