What is responsibility? What is freedom? Have we ever tried finding out their essence? We usually say that we want to be free; free from all our responsibilities. But have we ever comprehended the meaning of being free? Do we realize that actually responsibility is the KEY to the treasure house of freedom?
The word responsibility breaks down into two key words: response and ability i.e., ability to respond. Now the question arises, the ability to respond to what. It is the ability to respond to our own self, to the situations and to the day to day interactions that we have with our selves, or with others or with things around us.
But do we realize that this ability to respond (which is completely our own property) is chained by the upbringing that we get from our family and the society, by others telling us what to do, and by our ‘education’ system?
Without being conscious of it, we absorb these beliefs that have been fed to us and start practicing them. And when something goes wrong, we blame others for what has happened. We blame our family members, education system, people around us and the society at large.
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For e.g., at home we are told by our parents (those who believe in God) that God is everywhere. Some of us believe this. I am not saying that this is wrong, but have we ever experimented with this belief of ours? In our society we discriminate on the basis of religion, financial condition and status in the society. Why do most of us talk to affluent people so respectfully and feel proud about it? Why do we feel apprehensive when it comes to talking to people of lower strata in the society? When we got to school, we learnt to Respect is to Fear. Now how come respect and fear go hand in hand?
Freedom is realizing this bondage; these chains with which our response ability have been tied. Freedom is freeing it from the imprisonment of notions, views, biases and pre formed impressions of everything. When our power of responding is in our own hands, solely controlled by us, by the views that we have formed after exploring and experimenting with things, then we allow ourselves to be free. And we allow ourselves to approach things in our own way. Then we have complete responsibility for what we do.