What is responsibility ?

What is responsibility ?

We all have responsibilities. If you want to be considered really responsible, you will quickly notice how much responsibility that is. You could theoretically say that responsibility has three levels: an individual level, a social level and a social level.

Individual responsibility describes our responsibility towards ourselves. With our way of life we ??have it in our hands whether we live healthy or not. If we take responsibility for ourselves, we deny our lives even in difficult times. We don't harm ourselves negligently or willfully and we live more consciously. This affects both how we deal with ourselves and how we deal with the goods that we own and that belong to us. Discipline, efficiency, integrity and determination can be seen as qualities in the sense of individual responsibility .

Social responsibility extends the area of ?? our responsibility to our fellow human beings. It starts with the family, goes over to the friends and ends with all the people we deal with. Those who exercise social responsibility also take care of their neighbors and assume responsibility towards all those who are protected (for example, their own children). The property of others will. Values ??such as helpfulness, reliability, punctuality and honesty are expressions of social responsibility .

Social responsibility describes our responsibility as an individual towards society. We respect and abide by the laws and rules of social life as long as they are reasonable and just. Through our virtues of personal responsibility and our willingness to help others - in the sense of social responsibility - we relieve society, are a role model and thereby indirectly exercise social responsibility. Responsible use of power is also an element of social responsibility . Civil courage, legal compliance, critical questioning and commitment are virtues that can be interpreted primarily in terms of social responsibility .

This model is of course very sketchy. But it clearly shows how smooth the transitions between the different levels are. In addition, this theoretical construct is to be thought of as a pillar, with individual responsibility as the foundation. Because those who are not able to shape and master their lives on their own responsibility will also not be able to assume significant social responsibility ; let alone social responsibility .

Therefore, of course, the question arises to what extent today's lifestyle in affluent societies is more responsible. The tendency is sadly that the modern social system tends to lack a sense of responsibility . Of course, this also pervades all levels of insurance (car insurance). The personal responsibility of many people suffers from the fact that one is brought up to a lifestyle - sometimes also forced - that only consists of working life and lazy leisure time. The time that you constantly try to save elsewhere is often wasted unproductively. Man is a consumer and a workhorse in shift work. As a consumer, you mainly deal with trifles. That can e.g. B. be cheap soap operas on TV or video games. It boils down to the fact that many people live rather unhealthily and tend to have a self-contained lifestyle. They take little interest in the fate of many people. They are not interested in the fate of human society. This prevents a truly responsible mindset. Instead, the behavior is characterized by superficiality and relative insignificance.