for one thing it means that I participate by contributing productively as a part of it, versus being a whiner that just complains. It’s my responsibility to ensure influential people are notified of my opinions.
It means finding ways to support those who need it. Not people looking for an easy road, but those who understand that moving forward requires effort.
It also means knowing what the rules are and following them. If they are stupid rules I will speak up. Example, a municipal jurisdiction recently sent me a set of deficiencies before they would close a building permit. I asked what did about 2 thirds of them have to do with the permit I applied for? They said “nothing” and removed them. Mind you, I did a few of them anyway because they were sensible safety issues.
@spitfire3dc
Those sound like the actions of a “giver”. Someone who is invested on the system.
What are your thoughts on the attitudes of a “taker”? I’ve encountered what seems like a disproportionate number of people caught up in this of late in my travels.
Where do you think the balance should be between the “for me”, and the greater whole? I seem to be running into a lot of people who have forgotten individual and society is a symbiotic relationship, not a predatory/profiteering one.
@griz Takers only think about personal gain and while I am not averse to getting; i believe in a balance.
The attitude of takers? Assholian.
Pre-eminent of the Association of Assholians are those who think that owning a gun is a right, that was actually established based on defending what is right. But when a population as a whole (or at least a majority by democratic standards) has devolved to the levels of stupidity where they can’t tell the difference between moral righteousness and self serving, self preservation; the right to bear arms leads to the murderous environment that exists for those that feel a self entitlement to have everything, regardless of what their brothers and sisters have. In other words an attitude associated with taking.
Spitfire3dc has it right. You have to contribute and add to the community you live in. Go out and meet your neighbors and know your community. Finding out what is needed and doing your part to get that done.
It is staying in touch with family and friends. It is being there for someone who needs help.
It is obeying laws and living within the laws of your community, city, state, and country.
@griz It seems to me that this sense of community almost has to be forced. I was raised in a community that was close —- like extended families all over the neighborhood. When I moved out, I moved to West Virginia —- where everyone else in the state seemed to be related and literally extended family. I moved to Germany and was shocked to see people keeping to themselves and not interested in others. I was miserable.
After that, each place I lived in, I reached out and found neighbors keeping close-to-the-vest guarded friendships. It was hard to connect people and bring neighbors together as friends. I managed to do it in three neighborhoods. My last neighborhood had to be forced to be friendly, but after 30 years of hard work, we were a community of people who cared for each other. Now, I have moved to Arizona and have to start all over again. The neighbors do not know the family living next door, let alone across the street.
A start is getting to know the neighbors. Immortal Pirate wanted to get a “block Party” going, for neighbors to meet neighbors. It is hard to do because we seem to live in separate air-conditioned bubbles. There are neighborhood associations that seem to only be interested in keeping the neighborhood looking uniformly sterile, but they are not social in any way. Life here is lived close-to-the-vest. —– again, I am miserable. I stay inside my own air-conditioned bubble.
@ladybarbara
Every relationship has its initiator. I take note that you seem to be the happiest when doing this.
We are at our strongest as a community; and at our weakest as individuals. The latter is easiest, because we only have to consider ourselves. The former takes more work, but if successful a body of people grows that have consideration for one another. And then it’s not just you, considering you!
What you call keeping it close to the vest, I see too often as degrading into a bunch of turtles hiding in their shells.
We are forsaking our greatest strength: the society. And social media doesn’t really help this. We may know more about what others are up to; but we are more in relationship with our tech, and people’s “leavings” than with an actual person.
There is a semblance of “society”; but it is broken simply by someone choosing not to write.
And then we may never hear from them again or know what happened to them.
I think it can mean different things at different times. perhaps the greatest of these is to stay mindful and aware of where you are and who you are with as much as possible. remaining aware is the only way to propel humanity further. I encounter a choice between social responsibility and lassiez faire citizenship quite regularly. Just this week I was sitting at my desk absorbed in self, mostly, when I was approached by a woman who is quite well known to me. This woman has had a long and ardent journey. She has had one helluva difficult life, in other words. she has no family and very few friends, and so she asked me if I would be the one to attend her friends and family thanksgiving at her adult day care. I agreed, and drove quite a distance to attend the gathering. A beautiful smile graced her face as I arrived, she introduced me to all the staff at her daycare. For once in her life, someone didn’t let her down. Social responsibility. responsibility to others around us. Just as our right hand helps our left hand and our hands help the rest of our bodies, you can consider us all a part of the same body, if one of us stops playing our parts that is where the society goes awry. So it is most important to stay aware and awake to the people we encounter.
On a more mass level, I think we have a social responsibility to understand the plight of others. Example: the black lives matter movement. Why is it the only time you hear “all lives matter” is in retort to this movement? We have a social responsibility to understand the plight of those who identify as black or African American. I say identify because truly there is no such thing as race. (see race theory) at any rate, the black lives matter movement was started by a group of black women. They point some thing important out. When people discuss the gender wage gap, they are usually not aware that the stats that have been researched and reported are based on white women and white men. Women of colour endure an even greater disparity. We have got to start waking up to the societies that we live in where there is still an unspoken rule that they are tailored to white males. Our social responsibility? wake up and engage.
@Scarlett
My thought is that the “all lives matter” is often a necessary counter-balance to thinking one group should be elevated to “special treatment” when engaged in criminal activity just because of what happened in their ethnic past.
These “victimhood movements” are really becoming problematic: not just for the greater whole but against the participants as well.
But that aside, awareness is key: not just of yourself and all the balls you’re juggling . . . but as many of the balls in play as possible.
And with just a bit of training, and a willingness to temporarily put aside the balls you’re juggling, it is VERY easy to take note of all the other balls being juggled around you!
Which in a nut-shell, is a good definer of “society”: making the bit of extra effort to take note of the various juggling acts around you; and not thinking that your juggling act should be the only one everyone is making way for!
@griz I disagree. I think these are wounds that have to heal.
do you think the civil rights movement was a victimhood movement? personally, I think it is a thing white men have a hard time understanding.
18 responses to “Social Responsibility”
for one thing it means that I participate by contributing productively as a part of it, versus being a whiner that just complains. It’s my responsibility to ensure influential people are notified of my opinions.
It means finding ways to support those who need it. Not people looking for an easy road, but those who understand that moving forward requires effort.
It also means knowing what the rules are and following them. If they are stupid rules I will speak up. Example, a municipal jurisdiction recently sent me a set of deficiencies before they would close a building permit. I asked what did about 2 thirds of them have to do with the permit I applied for? They said “nothing” and removed them. Mind you, I did a few of them anyway because they were sensible safety issues.
@spitfire3dc
Those sound like the actions of a “giver”. Someone who is invested on the system.
What are your thoughts on the attitudes of a “taker”? I’ve encountered what seems like a disproportionate number of people caught up in this of late in my travels.
Where do you think the balance should be between the “for me”, and the greater whole? I seem to be running into a lot of people who have forgotten individual and society is a symbiotic relationship, not a predatory/profiteering one.
@griz Takers only think about personal gain and while I am not averse to getting; i believe in a balance.
The attitude of takers? Assholian.
Pre-eminent of the Association of Assholians are those who think that owning a gun is a right, that was actually established based on defending what is right. But when a population as a whole (or at least a majority by democratic standards) has devolved to the levels of stupidity where they can’t tell the difference between moral righteousness and self serving, self preservation; the right to bear arms leads to the murderous environment that exists for those that feel a self entitlement to have everything, regardless of what their brothers and sisters have. In other words an attitude associated with taking.
@spitfire3dc
An amendment that came out of a time of War seems to have succeeded only in keeping a people in a self inflicting state of War.
Spitfire3dc has it right. You have to contribute and add to the community you live in. Go out and meet your neighbors and know your community. Finding out what is needed and doing your part to get that done.
It is staying in touch with family and friends. It is being there for someone who needs help.
It is obeying laws and living within the laws of your community, city, state, and country.
@ladybarbara
As you move about and connect with new people, do you find this attitude to be rare, or common?
(I’m trying to re-frame the experiences I have when I’m put and about in America)
@griz It seems to me that this sense of community almost has to be forced. I was raised in a community that was close —- like extended families all over the neighborhood. When I moved out, I moved to West Virginia —- where everyone else in the state seemed to be related and literally extended family. I moved to Germany and was shocked to see people keeping to themselves and not interested in others. I was miserable.
After that, each place I lived in, I reached out and found neighbors keeping close-to-the-vest guarded friendships. It was hard to connect people and bring neighbors together as friends. I managed to do it in three neighborhoods. My last neighborhood had to be forced to be friendly, but after 30 years of hard work, we were a community of people who cared for each other. Now, I have moved to Arizona and have to start all over again. The neighbors do not know the family living next door, let alone across the street.
A start is getting to know the neighbors. Immortal Pirate wanted to get a “block Party” going, for neighbors to meet neighbors. It is hard to do because we seem to live in separate air-conditioned bubbles. There are neighborhood associations that seem to only be interested in keeping the neighborhood looking uniformly sterile, but they are not social in any way. Life here is lived close-to-the-vest. —– again, I am miserable. I stay inside my own air-conditioned bubble.
@ladybarbara
Every relationship has its initiator. I take note that you seem to be the happiest when doing this.
We are at our strongest as a community; and at our weakest as individuals. The latter is easiest, because we only have to consider ourselves. The former takes more work, but if successful a body of people grows that have consideration for one another. And then it’s not just you, considering you!
What you call keeping it close to the vest, I see too often as degrading into a bunch of turtles hiding in their shells.
We are forsaking our greatest strength: the society. And social media doesn’t really help this. We may know more about what others are up to; but we are more in relationship with our tech, and people’s “leavings” than with an actual person.
There is a semblance of “society”; but it is broken simply by someone choosing not to write.
And then we may never hear from them again or know what happened to them.
I have some things to say on this and I will tell it to you this weekend
I think it can mean different things at different times. perhaps the greatest of these is to stay mindful and aware of where you are and who you are with as much as possible. remaining aware is the only way to propel humanity further. I encounter a choice between social responsibility and lassiez faire citizenship quite regularly. Just this week I was sitting at my desk absorbed in self, mostly, when I was approached by a woman who is quite well known to me. This woman has had a long and ardent journey. She has had one helluva difficult life, in other words. she has no family and very few friends, and so she asked me if I would be the one to attend her friends and family thanksgiving at her adult day care. I agreed, and drove quite a distance to attend the gathering. A beautiful smile graced her face as I arrived, she introduced me to all the staff at her daycare. For once in her life, someone didn’t let her down. Social responsibility. responsibility to others around us. Just as our right hand helps our left hand and our hands help the rest of our bodies, you can consider us all a part of the same body, if one of us stops playing our parts that is where the society goes awry. So it is most important to stay aware and awake to the people we encounter.
On a more mass level, I think we have a social responsibility to understand the plight of others. Example: the black lives matter movement. Why is it the only time you hear “all lives matter” is in retort to this movement? We have a social responsibility to understand the plight of those who identify as black or African American. I say identify because truly there is no such thing as race. (see race theory) at any rate, the black lives matter movement was started by a group of black women. They point some thing important out. When people discuss the gender wage gap, they are usually not aware that the stats that have been researched and reported are based on white women and white men. Women of colour endure an even greater disparity. We have got to start waking up to the societies that we live in where there is still an unspoken rule that they are tailored to white males. Our social responsibility? wake up and engage.
@Scarlett
My thought is that the “all lives matter” is often a necessary counter-balance to thinking one group should be elevated to “special treatment” when engaged in criminal activity just because of what happened in their ethnic past.
These “victimhood movements” are really becoming problematic: not just for the greater whole but against the participants as well.
But that aside, awareness is key: not just of yourself and all the balls you’re juggling . . . but as many of the balls in play as possible.
And with just a bit of training, and a willingness to temporarily put aside the balls you’re juggling, it is VERY easy to take note of all the other balls being juggled around you!
Which in a nut-shell, is a good definer of “society”: making the bit of extra effort to take note of the various juggling acts around you; and not thinking that your juggling act should be the only one everyone is making way for!
@griz I disagree. I think these are wounds that have to heal.
do you think the civil rights movement was a victimhood movement? personally, I think it is a thing white men have a hard time understanding.
@Scarlett
So we need to be “controlled” or even forced into seeing it the way various agendas wanted to be seen?
Most of the social movements had to do with one side forcing or controlling the other side into compliance, to the point of revolt.
Is another revolting battle-of-the-sides (with only slightly modified ordinance) what we want to bequeath to our children?
…leave no evidence!
@luftballooneyegouge
Get an auto-flush toilet and you will never have to worry about this.
@griz
I’m a habitual flusher. I caaaaaaan’t stop!
@luftballooneyegouge turtles leave no trace
@Scarlett
I’d usually post ‘nilla Ice’s Ninja Rap, but I’m far too sophisticated now.