Stephen
Covey
Look
at the word responsibility— “response-ability”—the ability to choose your
response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not
blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their
behavior is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather
than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.
Viktor E. Frankl
Between
stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose
our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
The
reason I am starting with these 2 quotes is that the essence of these 2 quotes
have been the beacon for me in many circumstances in life, ever since I had
first read them. I don’t claim that I have always used the guidance in the right
way and always followed the path that these beacons had lighted for me, on the
contrary, more often I had missed following them. But any time I did follow
these; they have never failed to guide to me a better place. A place that made
me comfortable, made me earn success, appreciation and sometimes to places and
moments that I could carry as pride for future.
But why these become
important today? Why Am I sharing these?
We all are going
through many things that we have not faced in the past. Not only us, but people
also around us; most nations; almost whole humanity is facing these things as a
first time ever. And so, there is no play book. Coronavirus has pushed us to live
against our very nature. Remember, “Man is a social animal” so Social
distancing is not a concept that comes easy to us humans.
This pushes us to
first and most important choice, do we want to follow our human instinct and
continue being socially interacting beings or follow what scientist tell us and
exercise social distancing? The virus has thrown this “Stimulus” on us,
and it is our time to decide our Response. Our response can be seeing
mask as a forced issue or as our moral ownership towards ourselves and everyone
around us. (
A friend of mine asked, “for how long should we wear the masks?”
and I said, “How long do you wear warm clothes?” ; As long as the cold weather
lasts, was his answer and I smiled; to your masks question; the corresponding
answer is as long as the coronavirus lasts.) Social distancing can be
seen as a current necessity or as a forced behavior against our human nature.
But remember, the responsibility is not just about the decision we make, it is
about the impact that decision will have for us and all of those who are around
us.
Weather anomalies
, another major situation that we see. Many
of us believe that irresponsibility of human race has caused a lot harm to
environment, causing ozone depletion, global warming and root cause of most (if
not all) weather anomalies, from hurricanes, to extreme temperatures to Wild
fires an so on.
Stimulus is very clear here; since our actions are
causing the harm to climate so are, we ready to do anything about it? Possible
Response,
“Let us ignore climate change concept” or “Let us own this change as our doing
and take steps in our power to minimize our own damaging impact on climate.” Enough
individuals following the response to proactively heal the climate can lead to
a positive change. And that starts with just One. Are we taking that responsibility
to be that One. 1
st in our house? 1
st in our family? 1
st
in our community? You be the 1
st and others will follow. No matter
if you are being the 1
st to ignore or the 1
st to proactively
heal.
For those of us who are
in the United States of America. There is another situation. The elections are
just over, and the emotions are high.
Racial differences, political differences,
Left-Right divide, and so much more. “
Stimulus” the divide at all levels.
Possible
Responses, “I shall ignore” ; “I shall support my belief system
even more strongly”; “I shall open my mind and my arms to the other side and
try to bridge the gap”
I will not say more
on the situation, but I feel that The Response chosen by us will decide the nation and the world, we handover to our next generation.
There is my thought on the Response-Ability and how I see it . Let us all chose
what we think is right. Remember our choice will define the world of future.
Closing with another
quote that I have heard many times, not sure of the source; “ It is Good to be Right;
but it is Right to be Good”
