Webwork - 5:09 pm on Jan 19, 2007 (gmt 0)

Responsibility lunacy is the version of 'responsibility' where someone stands to speak and to assign responsibility by the argument "(those) people need to take personal responsibility for . . " (whatever).

Responsibility evolved moves beyond finger pointing and 'assigning responsibility'. Assigned responsibility is the antithesis of responsibility. Assigned responsibility is blame, one of the most unproductive processes of the human cortex.

Evolved personal responsibility is everyone asking themselves - "What is it that I . . " - I being MySpace management, all MySpace employees, all parents, all kids - everyone working on the issue from the point of view that any and all of us might be or have the answer or the power to have effected a different outcome.

You get that? If not, please try. We are blithely waltzing to a bad end in an era were the idea of personal responsibility has been corrupted, badly, into "It's not us/me. It's them!"

You know that somewhat much maligned quote "It takes a village"? Yes, that one. It's a book title too. The underlying premise of that quote is about the most spot on grasp of what makes life on this planet or in your neighborhome or home . . work.

Or not.

So, seeing how we all are once again poised to join in the blame game, allow me to point a finger to what I believe to be the human imperative of this century:

If we don't get ourselves . . if we don't see how we are our own worst enemies . . if we don't evolve in our thinking and get that the blame or titiliation game sells media advertising but is otherwise a cancer of the human psyche . . . If we don't stop the nonsense and start to get a handle on the real issue of what personal responsibility really means . . . there will be a price to pay. Think global warming or any other transnational issue.

You get that? I'm a bit pounding on the lecturn, hoping to get at least one or two people to crush the granite, to hit the stop button, to see that this moment is just like a thousand other moments where we all join in - mindlessly, like automatons - in the blame game.

Folks, before everyone takes sides on this issue and decries the perspective of one side or another pause to ponder this: What would it look like if, when there's a tragedy or a bad outcome, if all - ALL - any and all of us did was ask "What is it that I did or didn't do that may have contributed to this?" - the world might actually work.

So, whilst everyone is lining up to point the finger of irresponsibility allow me to ask: "What did I do that contributed to this?"

Well, for one thing, I didn't block MySpace or Facebook and I didn't excercise relentless parental oversight. I assigned trust to my children and maybe that was unwise, but anyone who is a parent knows in a somewhat anxiety provoking way that a child's growth is stimulated - is brought about - in large measure by letting go the controls and assigning trust. So, we have a dilema, don't we?

Maybe, if instead of assigning trust to my children I simply blocked MySpace and Facebook, then as a consequence of my untrusting actions, MySpace corporate - seeing the drop in traffic - might have noticed and paused to ask "Hey, Webwork, what's going on? You worried Webwork? Don't worry Mr. Webwork, we're putting safeguards in place to protect your children . . . and our bottom line."

But I didn't. And they didn't. And bad things have now happened and, as is the way of humankind, we now enter the blame and escape blame and 'assign responsibility' game and we are so deep into it we seldom stop to ask: Is this as good as it gets for humankind?

So, let me ask: Can any of you, about to assign responsibility to the parents or anyone else, think of something that you . . or you or you . . might have done or not done that may have made a small difference in the outcome for these children and MySpace?

I don't mean to mess with your heads. I don't. I don't. I don't.

Okay, forgive me. I do.

I do NOT mean to pontificate - preach - or act like I'm the righteous man, but it might strike you that way and I risk that and forgive me. Sorry. Trust me. I know all my flaws and jerkiness and know I have no right to preach and wish I did a better job of communicating something that deeply concerns me.

Because we're all in this together and if we don't 'get ourselves' and how we launch into issues often first and foremost by assigning blame or assigning responsibility, we just may assign ourselves the path to extinction.

Anyone get that their first impulse was to look for a cause of this issue entirely outside themselves? You get that? There's some hope then.Let the stone throwing stop.

Ouch! Who did that?

[edited by: Webwork at 5:26 pm (utc) on Jan. 19, 2007]