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RESPONSIBILITY – WHAT DOES IT MEAN PERSONALLY?

31/5/2018

15 Comments

 
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What does it truly mean to live responsibly and who do we actually have a responsibility to – is it just yourself or is it to all of humanity?

​Is it possible that when we honestly feel into the true quality of being responsible it will change how we consider relating to every living thing, and indeed, it then affects how we view and live life?
What are the consequences of the choices we make in life – does the quality of whatever we have chosen to engage with affect other people or do they just affect ourselves personally?  What is the full impact on the many relationships we live with daily if we live irresponsibly?

If responsibility pertains just to the self, are we then responsible for what we choose to associate with, who we choose to surround ourselves with, what we choose to give our attention to, even what we choose to fill our minds with? In honestly looking into how our choices can have a significant effect on the way we express and relate to others, we can see the impact of how the life we lead will impact on all others around us.

There are so many questions for everyone to personally ponder on, with utmost responsibility, we can also ask ourselves the question, does the quality of whatever we have chosen to engage with affect other people?

Very simply, there are two ways we can choose to live responsibly; either we can live with an energy that carries the quality of love, equality and harmony with all, which could be defined as a ‘good’ type of energy, or conversely, an energy that carries the quality of harm, imposition and separation, which could be defined as a ‘bad’ type of energy.
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Once we get our heads around the truthful fact that how we express, act and think, carries an energetic quality that is either harming or healing, we can begin to understand the enormity of the responsibility that lays with each and every one of us in the way we express in our daily lives.

We invite you to join our conversation and share what responsibility means to you.
15 Comments
Gayle
10/7/2018 06:14:10 am

Responsibility is a great big topic! I thought I was an expert at responsibility most of my life. Then I discovered that I didn't really understand the meaning of the word. I used to think that responsibility was a burden. Still I was always taking on one responsibility after another, always feeling the weight of each one. I even went so far as to take on other people's responsibilities, adding to my load.

Then when I entered my sixties, I discovered that I had it all wrong. The only real responsibility I had was to live in divine connection. Through connecting to my inner heart, my position in the universe became much more solid, and I began to live soulfully. That was the only responsibility. Once I had that sorted there didn't seem to be any weight to the things I had previously considered responsibilities.

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Anne McRitchhie
11/7/2018 03:55:28 am

Love what you share here Gayle and I had the same experience. One wonders why we have to wait until our elder years to discover the truth about our real responsibility. If we were all taught to live from our inner-heart from young, it would be a very different world.

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Anne Hart
11/7/2018 07:47:55 am

Gayle I totally relate to taking on other's responsibilities whilst neglecting to take responsibility for my own choices. I have had a lifelong habit of being responsible for others' wellbeing, this sense of care came easily. However it is draining of the self to do this and ultimately does not truly help another. Now in my late sixties I am learning that the more I simply observe and offer support from that place of observation a person is able to muster their own inner resources to self-heal. Responsibility now means the quality I bring to any situation, which in turn is a result of how deeply connected to myself I am in all that I do, be it how I apply my face cream, wash my dishes, make my bed or hang my clothes on the line.

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Gayle
12/7/2018 01:13:57 am

Wow. Your description of your old sense of responsibility Rings a Bell, Anne - 'taking on other's responsibilities whilst neglecting to take responsibility for my own choices.'

And I love hearing your new take on responsibility - 'the quality I bring to any situation, which in turn is a result of how deeply connected to myself I am in all that I do.'

Wish we could bottle this - but guess we have to live it and model it for younger generations.

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ruth anderssen
11/7/2018 08:18:55 am

'Living responsible lives- . . . this expression feels like it is a must do way of living!. Actually it is not, living with responsibility is a way of being, it is the depth of quality you make your livingness choices in, it is the connection and relationships you make with others - it is not necessarily all about YOU. During my career as an educator I felt a huge responsibility rested on my shoulders to be the role model that is associated with a teacher and sometimes I felt I wanted to run away and hide from all of this responsibility, however, I have come to the understanding that it is not a burden to live in this manner, it is a privilege to make choices in how I live so that I become a reflection to others. I live every day with a deep quality of being naturally responsible. It is through being a loving, caring, supporting, beautiful woman that becomes a way of living with responsibility that does indeed inspire others to live.

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Gayle
12/7/2018 07:46:19 am

Beautiful Ruth - a few pearls of wisdom in your comment. We can all feel that innate aspect of being naturally responsible.

We often forget that our mere reflection is a powerful role model for younger generations - often a better one than a lecture!

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Bernadette Curtin
11/7/2018 09:40:17 am

I used to feel responsible for many things that were not actually my responsibility at all, and I am discovering how letting go of this false sense of responsibility creates a spaciousness and freedom that is beautiful to enjoy as an elder.

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Gayle
12/7/2018 07:48:48 am

You've really captured an important element of right understanding of responsibility - recognition of the spaciousness and freedom that comes when we just quit the false sense of responsibility.

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Ingrid Langenbruch link
12/7/2018 06:59:50 am

For me responsibility is everything and everywhere in life, in whatever we do, think,
express... But many people don't want to go there and live accordingly.
It is much more comfortable to feel that our disregard is only affecting us and that that is ok.

Reply
Gayle
12/7/2018 07:52:39 am

Lately I've observed many different people, be they from religious organisations or new age spiritual movements, coming to the realisation that the statement "We are all one" is not just a warm and fuzzy thought but embedded deep inside each one of us. So how could the disregard or lack of responsibility only affect ourself? I feel there is a ground swell awakening all generations to the true meaning of responsibility. Whether it will be in our lifetime is another matter!

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Gayle
12/7/2018 07:56:44 am

This Conversation is open to all. We would love to hear your feelings on the Big R - Responsibility.

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Gayle
12/7/2018 08:22:49 am

Responsibility means I have the 'ability' to 'respond'. I then need to discern what that response will be.

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Gayle
12/7/2018 12:04:18 pm

Responsibility is the ability to respond.

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Gayle
13/7/2018 07:19:43 am

Is Responsibility just our Ability to Respond? The real trick is to be conscious of the energy that we respond with, eh!

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Annie Mack
17/7/2018 09:57:23 am

I have loved reading all the different ways that we all TOOK on responsibility.... because basically that was what we did in our earlier years. It wasn't something that came from within it was an expectation from our peers, that we would be responsible in all actions!! For me it was all to do with doing and not letting anyone else down or my obligations, it had nothing to do with me at all.
I can see so clearly the difference now of what responsibility really means, especially when I hear a person talk about their supposed responsibilities which are clearly to the detriment of themselves.

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