Day 330: The Responsibility Of Being Responsible

Throughout the years, responsibility is something I’ve always been conflicted about. On one hand, I tend to hold no greater respect than for people who, for lack of a better term, man up, embrace their various responsibilities head on, and carry on. My respect only expands for those able to carry that out day in and day out without complaining about it, without calling attention to themselves for doing it in the first place, and for not seeking the sympathy of others while doing it (even though I’ve known a good many people who are incredibly responsible despite living under especially trying circumstances and deserved the sympathy but wouldn’t have it).

On the other hand, there’s a big part of me that believes most humans waste a big chunk of their lives by becoming so deeply engrossed in their careers, social statuses, and station in life that they don't do much contemplation on matters not related to money or their self image. The questions instead seem to center around "Ho can I make more money?” “I wonder how I’d look behind the wheel of that big beauty?” “Do these pants really make my ass look smaller?” Even people who do manage to work in some occasional contemplation are still beholden to carry out a certain amount of work just to survive. The fact is you have to make bank to survive in this modern world. Now, how well off you want to survive is another question.

I have nothing against people who strive for financial success. It really makes no difference to me how you spend your energy, thoughts, and time. Your endeavors aren’t mine and vice versa. I do wish there was more of a balance, though, for those who don’t place their careers so highly up on their priority list. I, for example, would like to spend eight (but usually more) hours a day in contemplation, exploring my inner Walden, and debating philosophies and exploring the meaning of life and spend two or three hours actually at work making money to buy what I need to sustain myself and my family.  

That said, probably due in great part to growing up with parents who both have terrific work ethics, I don’t consider myself someone who just gets by. I put in the work, and where it particular concerns my career and occupation, I attempt to always do good work. Maybe that’s a pride thing. Maybe it’s inherent. Maybe instinctual. I don’t know. I just know I don’t like putting forth mediocre product, so I don’t. To me at least, work ethic is directly related to character, and character to me counts.

If there’s one thing I think I’ve come to learn at this point in my life it’s that work ethic is something you can't teach, mandate, dictate, expect, plead for, or entice from someone. As much as I think I admired my parents’ work ethic in action, I’ve witnessed too many productive, hard working parents who raised kids who couldn’t be coaxed off the couch unless the house was on fire to completely buy into that theory. In other words, I’m pretty much of the belief that either you have it or you don’t, and if you don’t, no one is going to talk you into working hard no matter how well-intentioned speeches or flat-out threats are aimed your way.

But here’s the thing I’m confused about: Some people are just lazy. I don’t respect that.  But some people don’t work (or work as much as others) because they’re in pursuit of something that means more to them than a paycheck. I do respect that (under the condition they don’t rely on the rest of us to make that possible). There’s a big difference between someone who just gets by in order to explore life and someone who wastes a life by just getting by. Left for only myself to fend for, I’m convinced I could just get by to explore life. But would I? That I’m not sure of.