by  David Pavek

It’s may be trite, and well worn, but the discussion of taking responsibility for your actions is still important. It’s important in so many ways. Mostly, if you care about yourself, and your self-worth, you should probably be prepared to take responsibility for yourself. We are not discussion, or really referring to, the worth you might have with money, cars or houses. Rather, we are discussing your moral worth.

Nathaniel Branden has commented upon this topic in his book Taking Responsibility. There, he writes, “if we did not have to make choices – if we couldn’t pursue many different goals by many different means – we would not need a code of morality. If our life and well-being did not depend on our making choices that are appropriate both to reality and to our own nature, we would not have to deal with questions like: by what values should I live my life? By what principles should I act? What should I seek and what should I avoid?”

Do you know the answers to these questions? Do you believe that you have the capacity to make appropriate choices? And, do you make these appropriate choices? We all make choices which lead to things which may be inappropriate, or not what we want. You may speed through a traffic light, just as it turns red, and get a ticket, or worse, get into a car accident. When that happens, will you, and do you, take responsibility? Do you blame the other driver for being “stupid” or the cop for doing his or her job? Continue reading →