Is IT Dead Yet?
Observations. Notations. Random conversations. I’m really starting to wonder at all that’s gone asunder. Questions. I have too many of them. People often get uncomfortable and quite reactive. Questions wear punching gloves when they hit the “no touchy” zones. Instant boxing match. Not my intention. My intention is to learn and grow.
So I’m curious about this tender thingy lately, rather blatantly, hence a recent boxing match. Is IT dead yet? This is what I’m wondering about. IT being Self-Responsibility. I wonder why any adult needs to have someone/something to direct their lives for them, tell them what is right, what is wrong, and then reinforce with punishment according to the offense (often repeat offenses). Isn’t that the same as a parent punishing a child for doing something wrong? Maybe that’s just my perspective.
One thing that’s long steeped in me is to be self-responsible in all the ways I conduct myself. Accountable for my wrongs, my mistakes, for any harm I cause, and to be aware not to do it again. Every time I think of doing, or do any harm, there’s a nagging voice inside me that yanks me up short. That’s my inner guide, my inner compass. I don’t need anyone/anything to tell me when I’ve done wrong.
Sometimes, I have a bad habit of saying, “I will do what I want." Repeated efforts of many attempting to control me have only fueled my determination to walk my own path, hence the previous statement. This triggers reactions when I don’t qualify that statement (and also even when I do).
It essentially means, I am accountable to myself as an autonomous human being. I will conduct myself according to my inner guide/compass. So, yes, I am free to do what I want, but, it must be in line with my inner guide. There are a LOT of rules that comprise my personal code that serves to guide me. There are immediate consequences if I break them. I call it being self-responsible. I’m wondering if being responsible for oneself is dead.
In the recent boxing match, my question of self-responsibility was slammed hard. I got told I know nothing about the law, despite my five years’ experience in criminal law and background in corporate contract law. Okay, I know nothing. It’s all black and white. It’s all very simple. Tell that one to all the lawyers and some judges I know. Law is not black and white, as much as people would like to believe that it is. It’s more like a chess game where you must know all the rules. Reminds me of corporate life.
Many more things were said, but none of that matters because it all came from a reactive place, an inability to go beyond a single viewpoint, caught in a self-imposed mind trap. For the most part, I let things like that wash over me like a leaf floating down the creek. This time, it left me with the question of, how many people live a life of self-responsibility and to what degree? Is IT dead yet? Is self-responsibility dead? Maybe I need to get it together and work hard to abdicate this horrible addicting habit of self-responsibility that I have. I wonder if there are any support groups that can help me with that.
All photos taken by Nine with a Pentax digital 35mm camera. Caution; sarcasm included in this post. It might be a bit stingy for some.
No one likes self-responsibility.
Those are the coolest shorts i have ever seen.
You're right, based on what I've been observing for years. HA! I should have known you'd like those shorts, lol. Pretty cool garbage picking outfit I thought.
Yep, ask your inner guide... he'll point you to the inner room where you'll find the Oracle! Kind of a "Me Depot" with all the Law's of Nature! :smirkysmirk:
Yesssssss.....LOL! Let's all go to the "Me Depot" of Natural Law. 😏
Yay! 🤗
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I don't think it's dead, just endangered! It's pretty much on the same list as common sense...
This post has been manually curated by the VYB curation project
Endangered like the unicorn I rarely, if ever see, right along with common sense, LOL!
Thank you @wrestlingdesires !
In that boxing match the point was not about your personal views of self responsibility. It was about societies'. When an individual exists in a society the individual must abide by that societies rules. The individual does not get to pick and choose which rules he/she wishes to follow. It's not a new concept. Humans have done it since the beginning of time. A group of individuals agree on some rules. Those individuals also then agree on some kind of punishment for those who break the rules. But the rule breakers dont get to individually decide what they personally consider to be the rules. By staying in that society and participating within that society they choose to abide by those rules. If an individual decides they no longer want to live in that society they are free to go seek out one or start their own. But to do that is a very costly thing to do in both time & money. So the best option is stay within the current community and work to change it from the inside. But that still requires the individual to follow the societies rules. Whether they agree with them or not. Otherwise that individual will still reap the consequences of the rules.
At this point, existing in a society is the biggest part of Self Responsibility. Whether an individual is conducting themselves in a way that aligns with the rules of the society. So again, if the individual does not agree to the rules of the society they are currently participating in they are free to go to one that does agree with them, start their own or work on the inside of the one they are currently in and try to change it.
I'm thinking you were confusing Self Reliance with Self Responsibility. Which, although they do go hand in hand, are two different things. Self Reliance is when the individual does not rely on a society for any resources such as food, water, electricity, heat, etc. It is still completely possible to be self reliant and only enter into society occasionally ie for supplies. But at that point the individual still needs to abide by that societies rules. Even for the short amount of time they are in it to conduct their business. They still can not pick and choose the rules they follow. Only when they return to their own society do they get to do that. There are borders around countries, citys, towns, counties, provinces for this reason. To mark where those rules start and end. But still since that individual's domicile, compound, farm, home, what ever you want to call it. Is still most likely located in an already existing county, township, province or a country there are already laws and regulations for that area that the individual will have to follow.
Self Responsibility falls under whether that individual is conducting themselves in accordance to the societies rules. Not what their personal opinion is of them. That was the whole entire point being made.
As far as "grey areas" of law and certain people getting away with breaking the rules and others not. That is corruption and an entirely different subject. Because the laws are black and white whether no matter what an individuals opinion on them are. The people who bend them or color between the lines, who then form a corrupt opinion in peoples interpretation of the law.
It's the same concept as a computer. You can say "the computer is corrupt or corrupted". But in actuality it's not. The code was changed by someone messing with the computer. So the fault isn't the computer, it was the person instructing the computer. But who? Is it the black hat hacker that wrote the code for the virus or the individual that clicked the sketchy link without checking it out first? In the concept of Self Responsibility, It's obviously the individual that clicked the sketchy link and not the hacker. But without the societies rules the hacker could never be stopped or brought to justice for destroying or draining the wallets of someone else's property.
So should that hacker just run free to continue to trick other people into executing his code to destroy peoples lives or should their be some sort of justice for the victim? Even if that hacker doesn't personally agree with societies rules. Yes he should be. Why? Because we as a society agree that theft & vandalism is wrong. Me personally I think it's both sad and funny that people are so easily duped in these situations. Part of me feels really bad for that person when it happens. But then the other part of me says, "Damn that was a good one". But I feel bad when the hacker gets busted usually through some way they didnt expect.
But my personal opinion doesn't change the law.
Thanks for leaving such a thoroughly thoughtful comment.
It seems you've misconstrued the situation, which is only one of hundreds I've encountered over the years. To clarify, when another shuts down a conversation by expressing views that attempt to eradicate and control another's expression, I do see that as a boxing match, not a discussion. Respect for different viewpoints is essential to interactions, which is not what I experienced.
In this statement, do you mean, do as you are told by whomever sets the rules, don't ask questions, don't think, don't decide for yourself whether something is causing harm, let someone/something else tell you? Additionally, is it acceptable to follow rules set by those who violate the very rules they set? Isn't that like following the advice of the "criminal" on the street as to how to run your life?
I disagree with what you've stated here. I'll clarify what I mean by Self-Responsibility. What I mean goes back to the point of, as an adult, do you need to be told right from wrong? Do you need to have a system in place to correct you like an errant child who's misbehaved? If one is conducting oneself in accordance with self-responsibility, one already knows what is wrong and what is right, Eg. driving drunk or under the influence of drugs. In such a situation, there is the "law of the land" that will punish you according to that system. If you are an adult, you know that to drive drunk or under the influence of drugs is endangering not only your own life, but the lives of others, therefore harmful, which one should know inside is the wrong choice if one is being self-responsible.
Natural law does not operate on the basis of the law of the land. Neither are black and white. Black and white is duality, is picking one side or the other, when it's simply two sides of the same coin. Neither can exist without the other. Duality trap, a construct of this world.
This is not a description of self-responsibility. That is the law of the land laid out by corporate entities. This quote is referenced from the link included in my post for further clarification.
"What is self-responsibility?
The state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one’s power, control, or management.
This is the definition you will find in the dictionary. It is straight forward and true. To put it bluntly, it is a way of life, a habit of saying this is happening because of my decisions. This is happening because I choose a specific path which leaded me to this.
By no means, self-responsibility is a way to tell the world “this is happening to me because of this people or this circumstance”. It is not easy to establish but it has the clear advantage to give you back the control of your life.
As you have probably experienced it the past, taking full responsibility of what is happening to you is not easy. It can be painful and even frustrating. This can easy lead to you trying to avoid self-responsibility.
There are three main reasons which can lead to this state of fact. The first one is lack of self-awareness, whereby you are disconnected to your deepest needs and values. The second reason is a poor self-esteem and the belief that you are not that important, making it difficult to imagine that you can have any control whatsoever in your life. The third reason is habits formed while you were kids."
Perhaps this clarifies better what I mean by self-responsibility, so it is not confused with self-reliance, which is another thing, as you have described.
No I didnt. You did. The other party was stating from the viewpoint of living within a society. He was stating a fact of life. When you go to someone else home you abide by their rules. The same concept with a societies laws. You took it as a personal attack on your opinion. He meant nothing of it towards you personally. Nor do I.
Now you've completely misconstrued what I said and are either over analyzing my statement or just attempting to twist it out of context for the sake of the arguement. Lol!
Speaking from a society's perspective here. Not as an individuals:
I said the individuals agree on the rules and consequences. Thats it. People are free to follow those rules or not. If people do not like those rules they are free to work on getting them changed or leave. But until rules are changed one must follow them when participating in a society. I dont know where you got the whole "dont think, dont decide for yourself ..." stuff. Because that was never a part of the my comment.
The "following rules set by those who violate them" is what I was meaning when talking about corruption. That requires exposing the corruption and then following up with changing the rules to attempt to not let it happen again. Again, this goes with working on changing the rules of the society within it and not just saying "I'm not going to follow them". Society's need rules to follow otherwise there is nothing but chaos. Rules are needed to define at what point something is right or wrong and to protect the individuals rights life, liberty and property. Natural law does not provide protection of those rights. It only ensures the "survival of the fittest".
The state or fact of being responsible, answerable, or accountable for something within one’s power, control, or management.
Again, I was not defining self responsibility itself but clarifying where it stands in relation to a society and what is expected of the individuals to coexist in that society.
I admit I was reaching for straws with the Self Reliance. ROFL!
Again laws are black and white, meaning they should not be bendable or applicable to only a particular hierarchy of a society. They are words on a piece of paper. In your drunk driving scenario you are correct. It's not the cars fault, its the driver. Now apply the same logic to the words on the piece of paper for laws. It's the people who interpret and bend those words that are at fault. Thats where you make changes. You change the people first. If that dont work then you change the laws. People are always saying "The system is broken". No it's not. The dumbass people who are running the system are broken. The system is running as it was designed.
There is nothing wrong with holding a differing opinion of society. But it does not change the fact that by being a part of that society one is still susceptible to its rules and consequences. That is not an opinion. That is a fact of life whether anybody like it or not. That was his entire point.
Free your mind, you'll thank yourself.
...and that was the moment I stopped reading your comment, because that sentence just says that everyone has to abide by it. Which is bullshit...and in my experience, everything that comes after a quote like that is based on that. This is an absolute "no go" for the freedom of nature.
Today the so called "civilized society" immediately abuses the free born man and forces him into their pre-chewed slavery without even thinking about it. All based on "laws." At least 80% of these "laws" are made to "protect" some idiot or/and because some insurance company wants it that way. And since most people in this society don't use their brains anymore, this tradition/culture is accepted without questioning.
Tradition and culture are mass conditioning instruments. A free man with the natural basis of self-respect and enough common sense needs neither "king" nor one of his lackeys to live. This free man is capable of healthy communication. An exchange of experiences without imposing his personal ego.
The basis of today's society is violence and intimidation. In order to change this and introduce the change that many are talking about, the existing construct must be dissolved and everything must be built up from scratch. Just as it is impossible to make a dessert out of shit by adding sugar. This "dessert" continues to be shit, simply with sugar on it.
Let's bring us humans back to nature and stop abusing drugs to endure the daily rape. That would be a first step to the basic attitude for a new beginning. And your personal opinion would be the second step to change not only the law, but everything.
Peace & Free Mind Brother
That's your choice to only nit pick a line out of entire comment to not put any of it into context.
Perfect way to stay open minded and live within a romantic world view!
That's will most certainly change everybody's hearts and minds.
That's sarcasm in case you couldn't tell.
Yep, that was definitely my personal choice and your surely are right...
But since it seems that you do not have any idea how living without the society and it's obligations is (romantic world view my ass, ha) and since it just is impossible to explain in words how real liberty and freedom feels like, i suggest you may try it yourself to get the realness of life back into your bones...
If you do, then let is settle in a few months and we can "talk" about all that again...
some of the above is sarcasm too, hopefully you can tell which parts
Lol!
I told myself I wasnt gonna do this but I'm going to anyways. Because I honestly take this kind of shit anymore.
That last line is why you need the context. Becasue the conversation in question had nothing to do with the freedom of nature. It was a conversation about societies and laws.
You and many other people speak of these evil corporations, corporate law and capitalism as if it's the most evil thing to ever exist on the planet. Yet nobody sees the irony of us discussing it on our computer, phone, tablet on the internet using electricity in our air conditioned/heated home/apartment/motel/car/etc. NONE of this would be possible without those evil corporations or natural law. Hive wouldnt even be possible!
Name for me one free society that is governed by Natural Law. That is still active, growing and thriving in the world today other than those small tribes in what is called 3rd world countries that dont even have running water.
Please explain to me how I can still have all the possessions I currently have. The joy of being with my family and friends that are spread out over thousands of miles from each other. How would that be possible under Natural Law?
I dont know about you but I like to take a shower everyday. I like to eat hot food and I like to wipe my ass with toilet paper. I have never and will never wipe my ass with a leaf.
One other thing:
Completely goes against everything you said with your opening line of
In order to have the Free Mind one must look at the full context.
How do you explain colours to a blind?
And yep, your right again... cool!
I got stung like a hornet from the sarcasm here! Bitch is still stinging! Lol
I think there’s far too little self responsibility these days, shit. People are always looking for someone to blame, something to tell them what to do, something to tell them yes do it or no don’t do it. I guess society goes through these ebbs and flows with a whole flock of pussies and a flock of people who are way too fucking badass. Eventually we will hopefully get back on the self responsibility track! I know that as kids we see things that we’ve experienced and our parents experienced and we try our best to do better. Eventually it swings the pendulum in the other direction, hopefully not too far.
There is little in life that is black and white! I think one of the only facts of life is if you fall down from something like a bed it’s going to hurt. Most other shit is questionable!
That's my sarcasm at low volume. 😏
Blame, nice point, you're quite right, people look to blame others for anything and everything. Being self-responsible leaves one in a position of holding oneself responsible, so maybe that's another reason it's a rare individual who chooses the lesser travelled path. It's always easier to pin blame anywhere else than take responsibility for oneself.
Sometimes falls don't hurt at all. I've fallen many times, once down an entire flight of stairs, with not even a bruise. So that's not even black and white, lol.
Thanks for popping by @cmplxty !
Kind of almost completely mostly.
Personal accountability is dead... ish.
From being programmed to think for ourselves from the get go. To being encouraged to blame the external by our leaders (it's the guns, the system, the whatever - um... no it's not... it's the people and we humans :/)
To Capitalism - encouraging sociopathic behaviour because in this particular system being a narcissistic sociopath is considered "success"
To being so traumatized by the current dysfunction of all of this that we're mostly unable to even "sit" with the issues at hand to figure out a possible solution
To being so busy treading water that there is just no time to think much at all anymore...
I could go on but I don't want to hijack your post.
But yeah. Not much time for awareness, self reflection or even any kind of consciousness around now - we're mostly running on fear and instinct just trying to survive this mess. And I suspect the powers that be want this.
People who are scared, tired, stressed and easily triggered are easy to manipulate.
Just saying.
Well, you covered a lot of points here, can see where you're coming from. Yeah, those are only some of the components at work that's brought us to the current moment.
Accurate and lots of research to substantiate that. I'll add that my own life path has taught me all that up close and personal.
Fear is best dealt with by facing it, working with it and releasing it. Then it disappears, based on my experience with it.
People don't want to look at triggers, explore that, do the work and deprogram from it. That will disable triggers. Knowing oneself intimately is key. Being present in the moment, observing and developing self-awareness are also key. I have found these approaches, among others I have to be highly effective.
Thank you for leaving a really valid comment, much appreciated.
Well you have clearly walked the path straight through the fire and come out the other side :)
Spot on. Agreed. And I "see" you. *salutes
Wonderfully written!
Long journey, best investment of my time on earth, and continuing with daily practice.
Ha! salutes back and thank you!
Same here. I only wish I'd done it sooner!
I wasted far too much time going around in circles. Mostly because of fear. Which is how we've been programmed... as you so rightly shared.
I'm going to stay connected to you. I sense we have quite a bit to share :)
Have a beautiful day 🌼
I hear you there. I've had the same thought also. Fear seems to be at the root of many things. Also went around in circles. I'd say that's part of the process.
Have a beautiful day 🌼
Thank you, right back at you! Have a beautiful day yourself! 😄
Sometimes we have to circle back! Yep! 😁
Cool. Looking forward to hearing more about you and getting to know you better.
Well met 💜
Yes, we do, lol.
Thank you, looking forward to it! 😁
Self-responsibility sucks but if we've gotta choose we dont have a choice. To keep living we have to serve that is how to become responsible.. Love the back caption gat the impression here i am doing my duties dont give a shit haha
I find lack of self-responsibility sucks far worse.
What do you mean by this?
I mean we have to render service to people, our environment, jobs, and things around us, for example you serving life by cleaning the surrounding in the pix picking the dirts.. this way you are responsible am I wrong??
I see what you mean by your comment, thank you for explaining. That's not me in the photos and the area the park that photo was shot in, is in a wealthier area where there's an atmosphere of entitlement. The man in the photo is most likely being paid to pick up garbage.
I am responsible for myself in all ways, but not responsible for other people's behaviour, choices, emotions, etc., that is their responsibility. In being responsible for myself, I live in the present moment and act accordance with my inner guide/inner compass, as to the correct action in that moment. If I keep my attention always focused outwards, not attending to what is going on inside me, that is when I cause myself issues. When operating from this place, I know when, where, and who to assist.
It is always best to teach others how to fend for themselves, rather than always pick up after them, which does them a disservice in denying them the opportunity to grow. This is something I have learned in a hard, painful and costly way.
Inner guide huh, that sounds like your subconscious,. Good to know you can control it and kw when to act if your inner guide tells you to do something. Most people wave the idea aside ending up thinking it's a misfortune
I think I understand your post pretty well now.. I always prefer the action teach me how to fish instead of giving me to eat.. makes me independent that way
Subconscious is not the inner guide. This is subconscious.
Inner guide is not easily described, it is a "knowing", not an intellectual knowing, mind knowing, emotions, or any of that. One perspective to view it from, is that of an internal compass that guides you. It's not something that "controls" or is "to be controlled", it simply "Is" and it's a matter of how much one attunes to that internal compass, which can be heard loud and clear when one is fully attuned.
Independence is a an excellent quality to develop, then you know how to take care of yourself.
Enjoyable to chat with you, thank you.
Well would have criticize your statement there but you already end the chat with a thank you.. Soo lovely chating with u😊
I wasn't ending the chat. I wanted to thank you for the chat, since that is my habit when enjoying the dialogue.
Ohh. So I know there is a difference between the mind and heart, The mind is connected to the subconscious because it can be controlled... You made mentioned that the inner guild cannot control you and you can't control it. It's a win-win sort of thing agreed, in other words, it just comes unexpected and happens to me all the time but some people fail to listen and follow it they end up making mistakes... Now if the subconscious mind can be controlled which is out of the list. How then do you know when your inner guild is talking to you and not your heart how do you differentiate it? In fact, how do you differentiate between advice or a word given by your inner guild, your heart, or your mind?
I hope am clear and do not get you thinking deep I just love critical thinking and logical conversations 😊😊😊
Another way to describe one's inner guide, would be to say inner companion. There is always the choice of whether one opens to this relationship, this guidance, and to what degree.
What you've said here, this is what I am referring to. It is absolutely accurate that when one chooses not to listen to it, they end up making mistakes. From my own experience, I have found this to be true every time. Sometimes people will even say..."if only I'd listened to myself, I would not have done X".
I literally "just know". It's immediate. It's not a thinking process. I know and act all in one. How to differentiate...I can give some suggestions.
It's almost like having a trusted friend tap you on the shoulder to tell you something about whatever it is that is going on in that moment (any moment). Often it can be described as a feeling in your gut, a gut feeling about whatever. You will literally feel it in that area of your body. Also, you'll feel like something is "off" about whatever it is, kind of like milk that's gone sour. The more attuned you become, the clearer this communication becomes.
Things that help develop this relationship:
Observing your thoughts, emotions, and behaviour in the moment.
Developing self-awareness.
Building trust within yourself.
Learning to let go and trust that inner guidance.
Meditation.
Spending time by oneself without distractions.
All of this sort of growth takes time, patience, perseverance, strength and practice. It is the road less travelled, the most difficult one, but, in my experience, the most worthwhile one.
I swim deep, always have, lol.
Spending time by oneself without distractions
Can you elaborate on that a little.
You seem to know alot about spirituality.. what spiritual path do you follow are you a Buddhist or.... ??
Secondly what opinion do you have for me to practice meditation.. I actually do it sometimes but each time my mind always jump off like a monkey from thoughts to thoughts
Spending time by oneself without distractions....
This is time alone, no electronics, no interruptions from the outside world. How the time is spent really is up to the person. I can give you some examples of what I do in this regard. I hike in the ravines where I live alone, avoid conversation and interaction with others I pass, while I focus on my breathing and the movement of my body. Any kind of physical exercise where I'm by myself, so this also includes things like my garden, foraging, or whatever else I come up with. I have many interests, so I will spend the time doing those as well, again, alone and without interruption from the outside world. Cleaning is another activity where I apply the same principles. It can be anything really. The key aspects are to be alone, to be present in the moment with what you are doing, to give yourself space to hear yourself, to observe yourself in an environment without all the distractions that are a part of regular life.
I don't follow any religion or subscribe to any belief system. Instead, I walk my own path, using that internal compass/guide.
Meditation. The fact that you've noted this observation about your mind means you're on the right path with meditation. This is exactly what the mind does. It does not like to stay still. There are many kinds of meditation, but generally, when doing meditation, you are simply sitting as the observer, watching your thoughts. The reason for this, is that you will see and learn a great deal about yourself by doing so. When you practice meditation, focus on your breath, it is the simplest, easiest approach and always my favourite that I also use out of meditation. When you notice that your mind has wandered from focusing on you breathing, just gently bring it back to focus on your breath.