Back To Responsibility For Others

False alarm. No Prius today.

All I have been trying to say is this: I believe, deeply, that we all are part of one world, one community and we are all responsible for each other.

There is no easy way of saying to what degree we are responsible to each other. Every single case is like every single person: different, unique, requiring an individual approach. That is why government programs intended to accomplish the end of meeting our responsibilities to each other always fall short. They cannot be tailored to fit each individual need and situation.

Where does my responsibility begin and end? I have to figure that out for myself. I have learned enough to know that doing for others is often unhelpful. Most times I do that to assuage a guilty conscience. Doing for others is often resented by the person you are helping - they wonder does this person think I can't do that? It also prevents them from gaining the experience and growth from stretching and extending oneself.

Trying to help someone who does not want to be helped is wasted effort. They will resent it, and you will not succeed.

But I think there are baselines. Nobody should starve to death in a land of plenty. Food should not be left to rot when there are starving people. We are responsible that children do not die of malnutrition in this country. We are responsible that they get an education and have opportunity. Elderly poor and disabled should not be left to die when it can be easily avoided. This is where I find the lines must be drawn.

I'm having difficulty expressing what I mean, so I am going to stop here, and maybe pray and meditate a little bit before I continue.