Disciplines:
The Google dictionary defines responsibility as 1) “the state or fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone”, 2) “the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something”, 3) ‘the opportunity or ability to act independently and make decisions without authorization”, and 4) “a thing that one is required to do as part of a job, role, or legal obligation.” While there is a lot to parse here, this essay will focus on the “duty” and “obligation” meaning of “responsibility”.
When it comes to responsibilities synonymous with duties and obligations, there are generally social and other consequences for not fulfilling expectations. You don’t comply with your obligations at work and you might lose your job. You don’t fulfill your responsibilities as a student and you don’t get good grades. Don’t fulfill your obligations in a life partnership and the results are tension and conflict, possibly leading to a break up.
In many of my writings, I have posited another concept of responsibility. This idea was not specifically taught to me but it is what I have gleaned from stories and teachings. In this concept, response-ability is the ability to respond to an event in a way that is life-affirming and consistent with what benefits the community, in balance with what serves you as an individual – to the best of your ability. To hold that intention yet fail to discern where the balance lies is called a mistake and it’s just a learning experience.
The consequences for not being “responsible” are natural, inherent and aligned with a kind of spiritual justice - or karma, if you like. For example, when you don’t live responsibly on the land, it cannot produce food, medicines and other necessities. When you are not responsible within your family and community, your relationships wither, die, and are not available when you need them.
Responsibility in the dominant social narrative is a duty or obligation one wears like a burden rather than a choice you can make to invest care into your relationships so that life can be experienced as abundant, fulfilling and joyful.
Over the years, I ceased thinking of my activism as a responsibility in the dominant narrative’s sense, and came to think of it more as my purpose or something to which Spirit had called me. With this change in perception, I readily recognized and appreciated how reframing my activism in this way better served me, my family and communities. Activism stopped feeling like a burden or obligation, and I empowered myself to place healthy boundaries on my work. I stopped thinking that the sometimes significant inconvenience of activism was the rent I had to pay for living on the planet. Instead, I chose to mostly express my activism through the joy of artistic processes.
Having made these changes, I am now clear that no one is obligated to be anti-racist. I don’t believe that Spirit requires anything of us in this regard. Likewise, it is no one’s duty to heal from the trauma of racism (or any trauma) but there can be significant and intrinsic benefits to taking such actions, not the least of which is healing at the individual, interpersonal and collective levels.
While White privilege is maintained through racism, and someone always benefits materially from any injustice, they absolutely do not benefit spiritually, mentally, emotionally or relationally from it. Racism is a projection of one’s relationship with oneself and a weaponization of trauma. This is true of both the systemic and interpersonal varieties. No one who intentionally practices, reinforces, or role models acts of inequality is mentally, emotionally, relationally or spiritually happy and healthy. Anyone who enables the status quo of inequality will never enjoy the sense of deep connection and spiritual wellbeing they could otherwise enjoy. And perhaps they will never even know what they are missing.
The journey of exploring and practicing anti-racism or any form of social justice activism can contribute to the growth of love in one’s life, expand consciousness of the greater reality, and foster awareness of interdependence as a fundamental aspect of existence. Anti-racist and other forms of activism can inform all manner of human achievement by not wasting, discounting or denying anyone’s capacity to contribute to improving the quality of life for all.
Despite the power of activism, I reject the idea that we all have a duty or obligation to be activists. Rather, we all have the opportunity to practice anti-racist activism and experience the satisfaction, fulfillment, and deepened experiences of connection that it can generate. I see activism as a choice, hopefully an informed one, that people can make in full awareness of the consequences. If you feel you are letting your ancestors or descendants down by not working for the end of racial and other forms of injustice, you may be confusing duty and obligation with purpose.
My use of the word purpose denotes a sacred aim or mission that your soul undertook before you came into this world. Purpose is about your unique gift to the world. For example, to eliminate animal suffering at the hands of humans, work toward ensuring everyone has a home, or clean up our food system. Hence, one of the purposes of your spirit guides, ancestors, and soul family is to remind you of the mission you gave yourself before arriving here. To ignore, deny, or repress one’s purpose is very uncomfortable. When you don’t feel a sense of purpose, you can feel unsatisfied, unfulfilled and disconnected from your relationships and life endeavours.
As mentioned in other essays, Spirit speaks the language of emotions, often experienced as impulses or gut reactions. When an idea (old or new) is activated, your spiritual guidance perks up. If you’re paying attention, you might become aware of the physical sensations that accompany all emotions. The fluttering in your chest and the excitement you feel urge you to move toward an idea. The tightness in your stomach and the unease that arises are saying, “stay away”.
Admittedly, discerning whether fear or love informs our impulses is not easy, particularly for folks with serious unhealed traumas. This is why developing emotional intelligence is so important, and particularly for parents to role model and teach. For this discussion, the ability to discern passions, preferences and dislikes is crucial to identifying and acting on your purpose. This is because purpose is encoded into your passions. The more you practice your passions, the more your purpose is served. (Allocating maximum time to engage with your passions also supports the growth of self-esteem and counters depression, but that’s for another essay.)
For folks who are passionate about their activism work, potentially inspired by their inner guidance, are serving a sacred purpose. Hence, they inherently experience a sense of meaning, fulfillment and satisfaction. On the other hand, activism motivated by a sense of fear, guilt and anger infuses that energy into the work. Though these emotions can be reasonable and practical responses to world and life events, and such guidance can eventually lead folks to finding passion and purpose, activists informed by duty, obligation and responsibility might actually be doing those they intend to benefit a disservice. And I believe they are certainly doing themselves some harm.
In sum, my spiritual guidance tells me that any actions inspired by love, excitement, appreciation, etc. are empowered the way the current can enhance the efforts of a paddler in a canoe headed downriver. On the other hand, actions informed by no more than a sense of duty or obligation, either to a demanding deity or socially imposed expectations, can feel like the slog of paddling upriver in the rapids.
