Collective Responsibility: Our Natural State of Being

“It is always a writer's duty to make the world better,” said Samuel Johnson.

I would say it is our duty as human beings to make the world better. It is not a good thing to do. It is our responsibility.

It is our duty to strive for progress and to contribute to the greater good. It is our duty to understand that we are dependent on other human beings and that they depend on us. It is our duty to put ourselves to the best use possible.

People usually don’t leave it to the doctor to take care of their health.

Likewise, we cannot leave it to others to build a lively community, a well-being society or a healthy planet.

I also believe that taking responsibility is our natural state of being. If you don’t take responsibility for the world around you, you will lead an empty life, because that is not who you are meant to be.

It is not enough to go to work, pay your taxes and raise a family. It is not enough to—perhaps—put your vote in a ballot box every few years.

You may agree with this. Like many of us, you have ideas about how we can make the world better. You also know how important civic engagement is.

But how do we convey that message to others? Especially to characters like Mario and Marion who spend most of their free time on the sofa, munching empty entertainment with their mobile in their hand.

What should we do — in a world of screamers and sleepwalkers?

I have supported numerous campaigns, been a member of several organisations, including a political party, with sweet, sour and savourless experiences.

Civic engagement has never been as rosy as it is portrayed to be. And it is less rosy than it was a decade or two ago. The world has become polarised, dominated by screamers, whether they sound like Donald Trump or Greta Thunberg. Nowadays, the risk is high that you enter a cult-like community, where critical voices are silenced. “People like us don’t have opinions like that.”

But that is no excuse for doing nothing—instead of something.

And that is the message to convey: “Do something.”

Putting your vote in the ballot box now and then is not enough to call yourself a responsible citizen.

Here is my shortlist for somebody, like Mario and Marion, who wants to spend less time on the sofa and take more responsibility for the common good, but don’t know where to start.

Find out what is going on around you:

1. Read and support local news.

2. Visit your nearest library.

3. Learn about what happens at your local council.

Almost every achievement springs out from the fact that people meet – in real life – and do something together. And to meet you need a location. For most people that meeting place is in their local community. That is where responsible and engaged citizens are forged.

And here is another message to send to the disengaged Marios and Marions:

Your vote may not matter as much as you would like to. But the total of what you do, or do not do, matters more than you think.

“Those who fall asleep in a democracy, may wake up in a dictatorship”. That quote is by the German historian Otto Gritschneder, and his words are as relevant as ever.

Trump’s tornado and Putin’s pugnacity have whirled many out of their sleepwalking. “We have something to preserve here, and only we can do it.”

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