"Maturity is achieved when one realizes that one's own pleasure is not worth another's pain."
- Chinese proverb
This time the "lesson" is about responsibility of action and responsibility of reaction (an action in and of itself). This dissertation will be in three parts, and I will attempt to update this weekly.
Responsibility entails that one realize and consider the consequence of one's actions on others, not just the self.
I realize perfectly well that I can not teach anyone empathy. All that I as a person am capable of is to solicit the benefits of such a capacity. If one is empathic they are capable of comprehending why someone would do something, if someone is truthful, and lastly sincerity of emotion. The benefits of these three applications are substantial, but most importantly they allow one to be responsible in thought, action, and emotion.
For example, if parents are responsible, they consider the impact of actions as to not only themselves, but their dependents. This is an ancient example that goes back to before mammals ruled the earth; even dinosaurs cared for their young.
If an employee is responsible to his employer, all employees benefit from his virtue; because he has done his job, no one else must pick up the "slack".
These cause-and-effect relationships are everywhere. Not to completely Kenobi out, but if all beings who are capable of affecting their environment by choice would act responsibly, there would very little strife in our world. If every time someone had considered the repercussions of their actions there would be no drunk driving, no rape, no murder no fraud, essentially no wrongdoing. Just because everyone thought before acting.
Now I realize that I am asking a lot here by saying that we should think before we act. It is not as if your brain doesn't use up twenty percent of all food and oxygen you metabolize whether or not you think or that the action of thinking is what allowed we as a species to conquer the entire surface world of our little planet which is covered with creatures that could kick our little unarmoured, unarmed asses all around the block.