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Today's
quotation:
People
who become conscious of the responsibility they bear
toward
a human being who affectionately waits for them, or to an
unfinished
work, will never be able to throw away their lives. They
know
the "why"
for their existence, and will be able to bear almost any
"how."
Victor
Frankl
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Today's
Meditation:
We do
have responsibilities here on this planet. And it's
in the fulfilling of those responsibilities that we imbue
meaning into our lives. But many of us don't take
the time or make the effort to explore just how broadly
our responsibilities stretch, and thus we miss out on
fulfilling many of them. It's not my responsibility
to take care of the kids next door, but perhaps it's my
responsibility to greet them kindly and encourage them and
compliment them whenever I get the chance. There are
people in my life who depend upon me, and it's my
responsibility to let them know that I love them and that
they can depend on me-- and then be there when they need
me.
When
we know what our responsibilities are, then our actions
make more sense-- as long as our actions are the result of
the knowledge of our responsibilities. When I have a
job that needs to be done, I know that I should get it
done for many reasons. People are depending on me to
get it done, someone needs me to get it done, and my own
sense of satisfaction and self is affected by whether or
not I get it done.
Unfortunately,
many people take on far more responsibilities than they
really should, and they and their loved ones tend to pay a
high price for this tendency. Not everything is our
responsibility, and if we're spreading ourselves thin and
running ourselves ragged, it's probably important that we
step back and re-evaluate just what is truly our
responsibility and just what we can let go of without
causing any harm. It's not our responsibility to fix
the world or single-handedly keep some organization
running smoothly (unless that's our job!), and we don't
want to ruin our relationships because we've overcommitted
ourselves outside of them.
The
world does need you. Perhaps it needs you to raise
healthy, well balanced children. Perhaps it needs
you to help others to buy homes, or get the proper
insurance coverage. It may need you in many
different ways over the years, but if we don't live up to
the responsibilities in our lives, then there will be
voids in the needs that aren't fulfilled in the lives of
the other people with whom we live.
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