To take on or not to take on the responsibility

This month’s theme is about responsibility and it has been explored and thought about by others earlier this month.I really want to explore a little further and give you at least one thing to think about for the rest of the day.

The Oxford dictionary defines it as “the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something” and “being accountable or to blame for something” also “a moral obligation to behave correctly towards something”. It is a human quality that you are NOT born with and, to make things worse, there are usually no formal classes or courses that teach us about responsibility. As we grow up from a young, carefree child, responsibilities become more and more important as we begin to become more independent.

Rather than learning responsibility from your parents, we slowly build up our awareness of this human trait as we are given more and more things to do and then sometimes make mistakes (or observe others making mistakes). It seems linked to our own maturity. Every one of you listening to this broadcast has different rates of maturity, and I can see this range every day in the classroom in Shung Tak

To me, the best and purest forms of responsibility is a force or a feeling that comes from within. If responsibility is forced upon someone, there is no pleasure or enjoyment of doing that even though it may be good for them. But if it comes from within, there is a real feeling of self-worth and a sense of family or community that comes from self-motivated responsibility. The example of submitting homework on time has been brought up in previous sharings. And yes it is important to comply with submitting homework on time for your own learning. But if you, as a student, feel the responsibility to yourself to better your own knowledge then homework should be much easier to do.

But the one thing I would like to leave with you today is a single idea:
“Your attitude to responsibility will define you for your whole life.”

Let me explain – different people treat their responsibilities in different ways. Some shy away or even dislike the cold reality of responsibility, given to them by their family or at work, while others seem to know that it is part of life and they deal with it when necessary. Wherever you are in terms of your own maturity and your own emerging responsibilities, important moments in your life will be affected by your attitude to responsibility. Most of you will become members of teams or groups of people, and if your responsibilities are shared, there will normally be a positive outcome from your endeavours. But if you don’t take responsibilities that come into your life then people will have a negative opinion of you and this may have a bad effect on your life path.

So, please carry on observing and growing up. You will see the human trait of responsibility in your friends and peers, your parents and adults you know. And as time moves on, the need to take more responsibilities will increase. You still have a choice – to take on or not to take on the responsibility. But your whole person will be judged at certain (and sometimes key) points in your life – by family members, by future employers, by your future life partner. Be prepared to make mistakes and learn from them, and then you too will become the best version of yourself.

Mr. John Guest
20 June 2022