Freedom, responsibility and consequences

John Donne wrote that no man is an island, that our lives are intertwined with the lives of others, and that we all form part of this great tapestry that we refer to as humankind. But bringing this concept to a closer level, to avoid getting lost in the immensity of the whole of humanity, we all form part of smaller groups of people which include our family, relatives and friends. This means that our actions will necessarily affect those around us, whether we want them to or not.

Today we live in a world that is becoming increasingly self-centered. Lately I have been running across messages to the effect of “we only have one life and we should live it as we please”. Fine. But what happens when we suddenly decide that the best way to live our lives is to set aside all assumed commitments and to simply do as we like? Does it count if in our quest for our own fulfilment we hurt other people? Is it fair to seek only our own satisfaction? Many will probably agree with this idea… and they may be right – I am simply posing the question.

I am definitely not against doing whatever makes a person happy, following his or her dreams and finding fulfilment for their wishes, but I do believe that we have to assume the responsibilities and repercussions that arise from our actions and decisions. I am a firm believer in the liberty to choose what we want to do, to follow our vocations, our impulses and our dreams, but I also believe that every action has a reaction that needs to be taken into consideration and we have to be prepared to accept it.

As a general rule, “we reap what we sow”. If in our intent to find our individuality and liberty we invade the rights or hurt the feelings of other people, we cannot expect relationships to remain exactly as they were. Wiping the slate clean rarely happens. And in order for it to happen, an enormous amount of work is needed. So it would be wise to remember that our behavior towards other people will probably define the way they will behave towards us.