Responsibility

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Responsibility

First a person should put their
house together,
then their town,
then the world.
Rabbi Yisrael Salanter

To elevate your soul in the direction of holiness,
you have to become more skilled
at anticipating the consequences of your actions
and taking responsibility
for the details in all areas where you make choices.

Alan Morinis
“Everyday Holiness”

Mussar Memo is a message of the week, day, month that is thought, prayer, validation that one can remember to help elevate themselves, work on themselves. In this case I am going to write what it means to me…

Ignoring the religious aspect, since I don’t have a religious bone in my body I am focusing on spirit and how I choose to live my life. I don’t know that I can properly express how I feel about religion. For me it feels like a noose, an exclusive club and in order to belong, one must do or say 1,2,3. My god doesn’t bother with all that nonsense, he/she/it wants me to be the best I can be. Not even sure that I even agree with the term “my god”. More like the universe or spirit.

Pertaining to this mussar of responsibility. I am often baffled by people who complain that they have too much work to do or that because they are asked to do something, perform some task that they are somehow being asked to change who they are. Above all I know that nothing will change who I am unless I decide that I am going to change – allow new thoughts and messages to inform and elevate me. Being responsible means doing the right thing, doing what needs to be done. For example, everyone wants to be praised or get a prize for doing something good, or doing the right thing. To me it seems you get the prize in the satisfaction of knowing that you did the right thing, not in doing it for the prize. Maybe it’s just me, or that I am silly.

Being responsible also means doing the hard things because they must be done, saying the hard things and yes, saying the good things. I do not do as well on this one as I should. Perhaps that is why I am focusing on it so that I can be aware and try, try. I always am thoughtful, in that I think. I become weary and bothered so yes I have work to do. Again, no one changes unless they want to.

To elevate your soul in the direction of enlightenment – for me is a better term than holiness one must become more skilled at anticipating the consequences of their actions and taking responsibility
for the details in all areas where you make choices. For me I have always spoken first and thought later. I am starting to anticipate consequences of my words, especially my words. I am trying to have an awareness of the consequences of my actions. Breathe. Often times it is in the details of my choices that I haven’t realized the consequences. Sometimes it is a word, a look, a gesture, or lack of that prompts a reaction. Lord knows I have experienced my own consequences to my stupid actions, but also to the good ones. At least I am trying to be aware and thought-ful and hopefully I can be more responsible in my actions and my words.