an online book by David Gurteen
Responsibility is an internal commitment to a moral obligation or duty that we choose to take on. We feel intrinsically compelled to fulfill responsibilities because of our values.
A duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; Old French: deu, did, past participle of devoir; Latin: debere, debitum, whence "debt") is a commitment or expectation to perform some action in general or if certain circumstances arise. A duty may arise from a system of ethics or morality, especially in an honor culture. Many duties are created by law, sometimes including a codified punishment or liability for non-performance. Performing one's duty may require some sacrifice of self-interest.
A sense-of-duty is also a virtue or personality trait that characterizes someone who is diligent about fulfilling individual duties or who confidently knows their calling. A sense-of-duty can also come from a need to fulfill familial pressures and desires. This is typically seen in a militaristic or patriotic way. A distinction is commonly made between "positive duties", which a person must undertake, and "negative duties", which relate to actions from which a person must refrain. Michael Freeman notes that negative duties may be easier to fulfill as they do not require any action.
Cicero, an early Roman philosopher who discusses duty in his work "On Duties", suggests that duties can come from four different sources:
The specific duties imposed by law or culture vary considerably, depending on jurisdiction, religion, and social normalities.
Credit: Wikipedia - dutyUltimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life, he can only respond by being responsible. | Viktor Frankl Continue reading Each Man Is Questioned by Life Viktor Frankl
Excerpt from Dr. Jordan Peterson describing the importance of communicating the value of responsibility to young people. Taken from his lecture: 2017 Maps of Meaning 9: Patterns of Symbolic Representation Posts where this video is embedded I. Take Responsibility We need to take responsibility for the changes we wish to see in the worldPeople: Jordan B … Continue reading Jordan Peterson on Responsibility Jordan Peterson
I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share. | Dalai Lama Continue reading We Need to Cultivate a Universal Responsibility for One Another and the Planet We Share Dalai Lama
Life has meaning with responsibility. The more responsibility you take on the more meaning your life has. | Jordan B Peterson Continue reading Life Has Meaning with Responsibility Jordan B Peterson
In this book, Confronting Our Freedom, Peter Block and Peter Koestenbaum deliver an exciting and engaging new take on management and leadership. Drawing on recent events in the market and in the world, including the Great Resignation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and widespread digital transformation, the authors invite you to reimagine ideas of freedom and accountability … Continue reading Confronting Our Freedom: Leading a Culture of Chosen Accountability and Belonging by Peter Block, Peter Koestenbaum (2023)
The search for human freedom—freedom being the choice to be a creator of our own experience and accept the unbearable responsibility that goes with that. Out of this insight grows the idea that perhaps the real task of leadership is to confront people with their freedom. This may be the ultimate act of love that is called for from those who hold … | Peter Block Continue reading The Real Task of Leadership Is to Confront People with Their Freedom Peter Block
Man is condemned to be free. Condemned, because he did not create himself, in other respect is free; because, once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. The Existentialist does not believe in the power of passion. He will never agree that a sweeping passion is a ravaging torrent which fatally leads a man to certain acts … | Jean-Paul Sartre Continue reading Man Is Condemned to Be Free Jean-Paul Sartre
The traditional assumption that “knowledge is power” and is used for personal gain is being subsumed by the notion that knowledge is an expression of the shared responsibilities for the collective well-being of humanity and the planet as a whole. | Jeremy Rifkin Continue reading Knowledge Is an Expression of Shared Responsibilities Jeremy Rifkin
Introduction The objective is simple: “Better decision-making.” The only issue is that there are so many different views over what we mean by “better.” At the core of all decision-making is the need to balance Power with Responsibility, as the vehicle for resolving the “better” question. This article explores why that is so difficult? It … Continue reading The Issues at the Core of Ethical Decision-making and Leadership Bruce Lloyd (2009)
The power to create a future requires us to choose to be accountable. To be accountable, among other things, means you act as an owner and part creator of whatever it is that you wish to improve. In the absence of this, you are in the position of effect, not cause … a powerless stance. To be accountable is to care for the well being of the whole … | Peter Block Continue reading Choose to Be Accountable Peter Block
Accountabilty is the willingness to acknowledge that we have participated in creating, through comission or ommision, the conditions that we wish to see changed. Without this capacity to see ourselves as cause, our efforts become either coercive or wishfully dependent on the transformation of others. Community will be created the moment we decide to act as creators of what it can become. This … | Peter Block Continue reading How Have I Contributed to the Current Reality? Peter Block
It is a misuse of our power to take responsibility for solving problems that belong to others. | Peter Block Continue reading Misuse of Our Power Peter Block
Communityship is a practice where community members take responsibility for that community’s growth and development. They nurture positive relationships between themselves and other members of the community. Furthermore, they help develop positive relationships between other members. | David Gurteen Continue reading What Is Communityship? David Gurteen
Contemplate the possibility that you have something very real to offer the world and that the world itself will be much less than it could be if you fail to bring that forward. | Jordan Peterson Continue reading Contemplate the Possibility That You Have Something Very Real to Offer the World Jordan B Peterson
Our faith in love and justice calls upon us to build a better world than the one we have found. It calls upon us to give back to the world all the good things we have received, so the less fortunate or most vulnerable members of our society get a chance to achieve a life full of opportunity and beauty. So those who take up the challenge will find … | Andrea Bocelli Continue reading Our Faith in Love and Justice Calls Upon Us to Build a Better World Andrea Bocelli
You have a moral obligation to do remarkable things with this miracle of existence that has been granted to you. | Jordan Peterson Continue reading You Have a Moral Obligation to Do Remarkable Things Jordan B Peterson
On accountability | Peter Block People: Peter BlockPeter Block Author, Consultant and SpeakerPosts: Peter BlockConnection Before Content Without relatedness, no work can occur Don’t Give Advice Especially when it is soughtI. Take Responsibility We need to take responsibility for the changes we wish to see in the worldIntroduction: Small Group Conversations Small groups are an … Continue reading Peter Block on Accountability Peter Block
Powerful questions are those that, in the answering, evoke a choice for accountability and commitment. | Peter Block Continue reading Powerful Questions Evoke a Choice for Accountability and Commitment Peter Block
The more people sort themselves out, the more responsibility they will take for the world around them and the more problems they will solve. If we put ourselves in order, perhaps we will do the same for the world. | Jordan Peterson Continue reading If We Put Ourselves in Order, Perhaps We Will Do the Same for the World Jordan Peterson
We own collective responsibility for the global conditions that we impact and that impact us. We will not make these changes based on authority-based leadership, but rather with each of us taking a leadership role. | Ronald Heifetz Continue reading We Own Collective Responsibility for Global Conditions Ronald Heifetz
Take responsibility for your thoughts, feelings, words, and actions. To take responsibility for your life is to take responsibility for your powers of thinking, feeling, speaking and acting, because this is the structure of all human experience. You create your life with your thoughts, feelings, words, and actions. You take responsibility when you … | Dina Marais Continue reading Take Responsibility for Your Thoughts, Feelings, Words, and Actions Dina Marais
People: Seth GodinSeth Godin AuthorPosts: Seth GodinExploring the Multifaceted Roles of Trust in Relationships and Society Without trust our civilization would collapseBooks: Seth GodinAuthority Verses Responsibility Seth Godin (2018)Care More Seth GodinComplex Problems Aren’t Actually Problems at All Seth GodinCompliance Is Quite Different From Contribution Seth GodinExploring the Multifaceted Roles of Trust in Relationships and … Continue reading Authority Verses Responsibility Seth Godin (2018)
Responsibility begins with the willingness to take the stand that one is cause in the matter of one’s life. It is a declaration not an assertion, that is, it is a context from which one chooses to live. Responsibility is not burden, fault, praise, blame, credit, shame or guilt. In responsibility, there is no evaluation of good or bad, right or … | Werner Erhard Continue reading Responsibility Begins with the Willingness to Take the Stand That One Is Cause in the Matter of One’s Life Werner Erhard
Your art is the act of taking personal responsibility, challenging the status quo, and changing people. | Seth Godin Continue reading Your Art Is the Act of Taking Personal Responsibility Seth Godin
We can choose to be audacious enough to take responsibility for the entire human family. We can choose to make our love for the world what our lives are really about. Each of us has the opportunity, the privilege, to make a difference in creating a world that works for all of us. It will require courage, audacity and heart. It is much more radical … | Werner Erhard Continue reading Choose to Be Audacious Enough to Take Responsibility for the Entire Human Family Werner Erhard
Leadership is often seen as providing guidance and security. However, authentic leadership may lie in confronting people with their own freedom, even when they resist it. Understanding this tension can help us rethink power, responsibility, and the choices we make in politics, religion, and the age of AI. Continue reading Peter Block, the Grand Inquisitor, and Leadership Leadership, freedom, and the burden of responsibility
Write to Think ** Pay It Forward ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The digital age has given us more free time and tools for collaboration than ever before. Yet much of this potential remains untapped, … Continue reading Cognitive Surplus Untapping our human potential
Understanding Teleology Fundamental Questions About Human Life ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Understanding “purpose” is key to exploring questions about life’s meaning or the universe’s purpose. The term encompasses reasons, goals, and intended outcomes of … Continue reading The Meaning of Purpose ** Purpose has a nuanced meaning
What is the meaning of life from an individual perspective? In other words, what is my or your purpose for being here? Continue reading What Is the Purpose of Life? ** What is the meaning of an individual human life?
What Is the Purpose of Humanity ** Introduction: Our Evolutionary Journey Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Longtermism is a philosophy focused on doing the most cumulative good possible from a civilization-scale perspective. It argues we should … Continue reading The Case for Longtermism How thinking long-term can shape a better future for humanity
The Two Pillars of Truth Introduction: Two Pillars of Truth Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close We need to recognize that the pursuit of truth and the application of rigorous critical thinking are not just intellectual exercises … Continue reading Conclusion: Two Pillars of Truth Critical thinking – a civic duty
Spirituality Signal-to-noise Ratio Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Life presents numerous challenges and opportunities. It is crucial to identify areas under our control versus those beyond our influence. The “Circles of Engagement” model guides us in … Continue reading Circles of Engagement ** Aligning efforts with impact
Without care, society would be impossible. Caring is at the root of creating a better world. If we care, we take responsibility. Continue reading Care ** We naturally take responsibility for the people and the things that we care about
Agency is our ability to make intentional choices and act independently, shaping our lives and identities. The challenge is transitioning from acquiring knowledge to actively using it in the real world. We need to embrace the dynamic nature of agency to turn knowledge into impactful actions and decisions. Continue reading From Knowledge to Agency Developing agency in a changing world – cultivating the capacity to act
Introduction: Principles of Conversational Leadership II. Embrace Complexity Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Take responsibility: In life, we can choose to take responsibility in several ways. Most critically, we can choose to take ownership of the … Continue reading I. Take Responsibility We need to take responsibility for the changes we wish to see in the world
People often say, “I have no choice,” but that’s rarely true. Even in the most challenging situations, we can choose our attitude, response, and actions. These insights from Viktor Frankl, Stephen Covey, Peter Block, and Peter Koestenbaum remind us of the power and responsibility of choice. Continue reading We All Have the Freedom to Choose If We Choose To The last of human freedoms
Introduction: Motivation and Engagement ** Motivation ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Commitment shapes our decisions and actions, but not all commitments are the same. Without true commitment, hesitation and uncertainty hold us back. The moment … Continue reading What Commitment Really Means We are committed when we decide to do something without any expectation of return
One of the most significant mistakes we often commit when striving to initiate change is trying to enforce things upon others. Continue reading Ownership, Not Buy-in We need to move from buy-in to ownership
Turn Monologues Into Dialogues Speak with Less Conviction Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Take responsibility for the conversation: A few participants dominate many conversations, and as a result, there is no real engagement or energy in … Continue reading Take Responsibility for the Conversation ** We all need to take responsibility for the quality of our conversations
Reframing Questions Raising the Ships on the Sea Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Trust is the force that holds our society together. It is the glue that connects us, builds communities, and is one of the … Continue reading Exploring the Multifaceted Roles of Trust in Relationships and Society Without trust our civilization would collapse
Peter Drucker introduced the term “Knowledge Worker” in his book Landmarks of Tomorrow in 1959. But what is a Knowledge Worker? Continue reading What Is a Knowledge Worker? A knowledge worker is someone whose job entails having really interesting conversations at work
Punished by Rewards We Need to Stop Trying to Do Things to Each Other Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close We use the words responsibility and accountability loosely in everyday language, but what’s the difference? We take responsibility but … Continue reading The Difference Between Responsibility and Accountability We take responsibility but are held accountable
Knowledge Café History Knowledge Café Applications Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The outcomes of a Knowledge Café are not tangible outcomes such as decisions, plans, or consensus. The outcomes are what the participants take away in … Continue reading Knowledge Café Outcomes The outcomes are what you take away in your head
