Responsibility is more than an obligation to family and occupation; it is also a sense of duty to become involved in state, country and world affairs.
I heard Billy Graham say some time ago, "Jesus said pick up your crosses and follow me" what did Jesus mean by this assertion? He certainly did not mean we had to follow him to the same crucifixion he had to undergo; I believe what he meant was to carry a burden of responsibility (as a piece of the cross) with relation to our fellow man.
Of course, most of us are restrained to our realistic world, which is, keeping our children's necessities met. In society today just raising children can occupy most of our time let alone the issues of our times for it appears there is not much we can do as citizens except cast a ballot for the representatives we believe will carry the burden for us. So you might say just voting alone (the vote) is a piece of the cross Jesus was referring to.
What happens in the world involves all of us not only how other countries contribute to our nation with imports that benefit us with material goods to make our lives more comfortable. However, the way we look at the citizens of other nations as though they were from a different planet. We all share a common bond. When Thomas Jefferson declaring in the "Declaration of Independence" that all men are created equal. He wasn't speaking of Americans alone as being created equal he was speaking on behalf of all human beings throughout the world as being created equal.
I recently watched an episode on the news about how our young are becoming addicted to electronic games. What about the young in the 60s becoming addicted to drugs, why do they do this; I believe it's a form of escaping reality. That's exactly what parents of the baby boomers were telling their children. "You are escaping reality" actually they were facing it and didn't like what they saw so they chose to use an alternative measure, a way of coping with the real world.
Hey, reality (things as they are) is here because we make this way of life a reality. It's up to us to change our way of life to a lifestyle we can all live by and enjoy. The constitution declares the people rule, the politicians have their hands tied. The corporate world is our master keeping us living as their slaves.
However, we cannot enforce rules or laws for the corporate world to abide by. For we too would be guilty of a form of tyranny, The CEO's of these big business corporations must find the time to open their minds and hearts willingly . They too must carry a little responsibility toward their fellow man. If they choose to live their lives arrogantly without any compassion for others, then they are truly the slaves of the people living as prisoners confined to their own lives. They are missing the true meaning of freedom, which is the joy of a fulfillment in their lives by serving their fellow man and becoming a positive part of civilization.
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Those who define freedom as doing as they please live their lives as prisoners confined to themselves."
Dave Tanguay
The Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope Diogenes speaks to Alexander the Great, saying: ''You are my servants' servant''. The philosopher has conquered fear, lust, and anger; Alexander still serves these masters. Though he has conquered the world without, he has not yet mastered the world within. This kind of mastery is dependent upon no one and nothing other than ourselves.
Richard Lovelace's poem echoes this experience:
: Stone walls do not a prison make
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