The burden of responsibility! Ah how it weighs on us. How dramatic it sounds. How much we take on ourselves. How much do we have to do alone? But what is this burden we are taking on ourselves? Why is responsibility a burden? Is it not a way of life? And how much are we supposed to take on as our share of responsibility?
That I think is the key - the one that causes stress, the causes health issues, that wears people down, that makes and breaks people. How much responsibility should I take?
Before that a look at what responsibility is. In its basic form, responsibility is a word. A thought. An attitude. That is all.
But sadly, it also gives the one who takes it on a sense of importance. One 'feels' responsible and that in itself makes one feel burdened by the thought. But is that it? Does the word, the thought, the attitude bear you down because you wish to feel dramatically overloaded by your own thought?
To me there are two aspects to this responsibility business. Firstly, the thought. As a thought it can extend to anything that one can imagine. While some people (leaders for example) appear to take on the responsibility for all of mankind and still appear happy and fine, others feel burdened even by the responsibility for themselves and their family. The thought is itself highly disturbing to them that they are responsible. It is then what we let that thought of responsibility do to us that matters.
The other aspect is the physical aspect to this responsibility. What we 'do' about it. Some could do nothing but feel burdened by the mere thought, others could be just doing and that itself reduces the burden and allows them to take more responsibility. Fearless action is a sure way to handle this.
Responsibility becomes a burden and causes stress only when you think you must always 'do' more than what you can. One can only take responsibility for one's actions and that is as much one can do. Anything more is in the realm of other people's responsibility and that of God's. To do then, to the extent one can, is the right way of responsibility. Not to stop taking action because one feels that it is all too much!
Also I feel that to think there is always more to do is nothing but merely increasing the drama. By giving yourself the bigger gap and moping about it, you only give yourself more importance as having carried more burden. But who cares? It is the one who has the least burden that moves fastest, that feel light and has a smile on his face all the time. He is the one who is in reality 'doing' more for himself and others! So there is a good case to drop the burden right now! Drop all imaginary and futuristic burdens right now. You are free of all responsibilities!
Our responsibility is only for the moment and no more. There is no point in piling up baggage out of the responsibility for all the years down the line and feeling crushed by it, feeling fearful of it. It is but our job to handle each moment responsibly - in this case - to handle each moment with responsible action and not irresponsible thoughts of doom and despair!
To put it simply (I am getting a feeling that I might have complicated things a bit): responsibility is only limited to your action that moment, the word, the gesture and the thought for that moment. All your grand intentions and dramas that cannot be fitted into acts, words, gestures, thoughts can be dropped instantly.
Essentially drop whatever you are doing that you are doing out of a sense of responsibility, a sense of obligation (be irresponsible to the sense of being responsible). Live intuitively and you will see that you are living more responsibly than you lived while being 'responsible'. You would take care of yourself, others as well and go about feeling light in the head, heart and shoulder. Drop it all now and see the difference. I am going to do it. Right now!
