The Notion Of Responsibility - written by Zinn Jeremiah

Most people at one time or other have heard about the virtues of responsibility. Typically this is declared in the idea of being responsible for one's own existence. In other words, the person who is seen as being self-reliant is often considered virtuous and an example of exceptional character. The individual who appears reliant upon others, on the other hand, is often condemned. This isn't absolute: it varies across cultures. But it can at least appear to be the norm.

While it's true that responsibility is typically seen as a virtue, most people would put a limit on what a person can reasonably accept responsibility for. For example, most people wouldn't hold someone responsible for an act of nature that destroyed property. And most people wouldn't hold one particular individual responsible for a famine that caused the loss of life. In other words, there are usually accepted limits to what one is seen as being responsible for.

The polar opposite, if you will, of individual responsibility is the notion that people don't have an form of responsibility at all. This sort of thinking often presumes that people are merely carrying out an existence that was determined for them by a source power. In this way of looking at life, human beings are just moving along a path that was already chosen for them. This type of thinking isn't especially popular in western culture, and would probably be viewed by the majority of people in western cultures as extremist or irresponsible.

Ho'oponopono is one particular perspective that does embrace the idea of personal responsibility. Ho'oponopono is a practice that's used for solving problems and enhancing quality of life. The ho'oponopono practice was founded in Hawaii and has been practiced by native Hawaiians for generations. A core idea behind ho'oponopono is accepting responsibility for harm caused so that conflict between people may be resolved.

In an updated version of ho'oponopono, the connection is not between people but between an individual and a higher power. In this ho'oponopono form, the individual makes amends for problems within their life. Part of this process includes accepting absolute responsibility for everything that one is aware of. This perspective doesn't offer any form of exception, and it's believed that the individual him or herself brings about all life experiences.

This core idea of total responsibility for every aspect of life means some will see ho'oponopono as unrealistic or extreme. Looking at ho'oponopono from this perspective, one could reasonably said it's the complete opposite of the notion that individuals don't have any responsibility to speak of. There is no question that ho'oponopono has its share of critics, but there is an increasingly large number of people who regularly practice ho'oponopono. For these people at least, total responsibility is an acceptable notion.