The Philosophy of Sustainability: Element 6 - Responsibility

This is Part 6 of a 6-part series wherein elements of a philosophy of sustainability are suggested.

6.                  Responsibility

‘Humans come of age are totally responsible for what they are and what they do.  We are free to do whatever we like within the limits of our several abilities.  We need only face the consequences.’

            Process – Robert A. Macoskey

We make choices every moment of every day.  ‘Shall I keep doing what I’m doing now, or shall I do something different?’  ‘Shall I look over there or keep looking over here?’  ‘Should I say something about that or keep my mouth shut?’  The consequences of some choices are trivial, but the consequences of others are profound.  The effects of some actions are foreseeable while the effects of others are not. 

Infants are not expected to be responsible for their actions.  As children, we learn acceptable behaviors and the consequences for not adhering to them.  Adolescents are given more responsibility, but are not held to high standards of accountability.  Young adults are expected to be fully aware of accepted behavior and are held accountable, but because poor judgment is common, the consequences for inappropriate behavior are often softened.  Adults are fully vested with responsibility and accountability for their words and deeds.  Adults are expected to be wise enough to understand the consequences of their actions and mature enough to accept them.

We can choose to establish rules for living our lives in accordance with philosophical principles.  We can also recognize that as time passes, our knowledge of what works and what does not will change.  We can choose to reevaluate our underlying principles as well as the ways that we interact with the world or we can steadfastly adhere to behavior even when signs tell us that the course is doomed.

We can choose to approach life from a perspective of love and reverence for all creation.  We can do unto others as we would have them do unto us and reap the benefits or we can approach life with disregard and irreverence and suffer the consequences.

We can choose to fulfill only our needs and by so doing leave enough for others.  Or, we can consume everything and leave nothing.

We can choose to cooperate with others to accomplish common goals and thereby build community and fellowship.  Or, we can struggle individually to satisfy selfish objectives that may make us rich in material but deprived in spirit.

And, we can devote time to understanding how our actions impact others and how we can achieve necessary objectives in ways that are elegantly simple.  We can redesign systems to use materials and energy more wisely and we can reuse or recycle resources to reduce waste.  Or, we can ignore the lessons of Nature and carry on without regard for resource limits, carrying capacities, or the impacts our actions have on the world around us.

Most importantly – we can take responsibility for our actions and change behavior when it becomes apparent that we have made poor choices.  Or, we can ignore the consequences and leave those concerns for others to address another time.