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Taking Responsibility

Knowledge Base

by Roy Posner and MSS

Taking Responsibility that Enables Accomplishment
Those who take personal responsibility when difficulties in life occur grow and evolve, and create the conditions for greater accomplishment in life. 

Responsible Men
Responsible men do their duty and cooperate. (MSS)

Responding Positive to Obstacles of Life
When life bears down on us and exerts pressures we can respond positively or negatively. Those who respond positively, who take responsibility rather than blame others or be in different, grow as individuals, and set the stage for great positive responses from life, and great achievement and happiness.

Take Responsibility, Don't Blame Others, Change the Corresponding Behavior
Take responsibility for the conditions in your life. Do not blame others. In fact, see very problem in your life as a refection of one or more wanting characteristics in yourself. Then take responsibility by changing that element. Doing so will cause life to respond suddenly and miraculous-like in your favor.

Not Blaming; Getting at the Root Cause Instead
It is best for a manager never to blame an employee, but instead to get at the root cause of problem, and from that knowledge make the necessary change for improvement. Having the attitude of learning from mistakes is a great one that we can all foster in our lives

Mr. Bennet Takes Responsibility and Life Responds
In Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bennet took responsibility for the elopement of his wild daughter Lydia and his inability to raise his children properly which immediately attracted the resolution of the elopement, saving his family from disgrace and financial ruin. When we take responsibility for our actions, life immediately starts working in our favor.

Taking Responsibility Attracts Positive Life Response
Those who take responsibility for their misdeeds, actions, attitudes, etc. and act to reverse this, attract positive results from life. (This is an example of a more positive attitude.) 
 
LIFE RESPONSE EXAMPLES
-A man realizes that his arrogance and pride are responsible for negative circumstances. He makes a conscious decision to reverse these characteristics and act in a diametrically opposite direction. Having taken this inner and outer initiative to improve himself ... life brings two magnificent responses.
-A man realized that an earlier negative insistence invoke a negative life response in a related area shortly thereafter. He became aware of and took responsibility for invoking this negativity, which had the effect of reversing the negative result in the first place!

Reversing a Negative Life Response
A woman was paying a bill at a restaurant to the waitress. In the middle of the transaction, the woman's friend interrupted the waitress and asked for some brochures that were stored behind the cash register. They were brochures for various local attractions. The waitress continued with the transaction with the woman and then gave the man a brochure.

An hour or so later when the man and the woman went to visit the attraction, he was disappointed to learn that it was closed. What had happened was that the earlier negative interruption by the man at the cash register asking for the brochure attracted a negative life response in that area -- i.e. the attraction that the brochure was advertising.

Fortunately, this story had a happy ending. After being disappointed by the closed attraction, he had the subtle sense to see the connection between his rude interruption and the negative outcome. What happened was that at that point, he took responsibility for his past misdeed and the negative response that followed. At the very moment, he accepted responsibility, the woman at the entrance indicated that the attraction would in fact be open in an hour. The two close friends then went to on to have had a wonderful time at that natural wonder -- an underground cave.

When an individual realizes his complicity in a  negative outcome and becomes accountable for it, life tends to quickly move in his favor. It is the life response power of taking responsibility in life.

On Responsibility
-When life bears down on us and exerts pressures we can respond positively or negatively. Those who respond positively, who take responsibility rather than blame others or be in different, grow as individuals, and set the stage for great positive responses from life, and great achievement and happiness.

-Whenever anything negative occurs around or near you, even if there is no obvious cause on your part, try to understand what life is teaching you. Trace it to a related negative quality of your own.  You will be taking responsibility. In this way negative situations, no matter who was at fault, are your great teachers!

Take Responsibility in Life
Throughout our lives, we are confronted by situations and circumstances that challenge our sensibilities. It is how we respond to these challenges that often determine whether or not we truly achieve in life. Those who take responsibility, accomplish and grow as people. Those who blame others, or otherwise ignore the symptoms, achieve less and stagnate. For example, a man realized that his arrogance and pride were responsible for the negative situations that were occurring in his life. When he made a conscious decision and effort to change those qualities, life brought him two magnificent responses from life. One Step Further: Having said this, there is an even higher form of responsibility available to us. By moving to a deeper level of consciousness, we can begin to perceive that everything occurring around us -- including the negative situations and circumstance that come our way -- are a direct reflection of our own inner condition. If we then ''take responsibility"� in such situations by discovering and then reversing the corresponding negative elements in our selves -- i.e. in our false actions and behaviors, and in our limited attitudes, opinions, and beliefs -- life outside us can suddenly respond with great fortune.

Taking Responsibility in Master & Commander: the Far Side of the World
In the 19th century and the British naval frigate HMS Surprise is pursuing the Acheron, a large and powerful French war vessel that is sailing off the coast of South America. At one point, the Surprise, commanded by Captain Jack Aubrey, is herself 'surprised' when she is attacked by the Acheron; badly damaging the ship and wounding many of its crewmembers. As a result of these events, Stephen Maturin, the ship's doctor and close friend of the Captain, comes in conflict with him over his relentless pursuit of the enemy ship. The doctor insists that it is better to retreat, regroup, and consider a new approach rather than further endanger the crew. When Captain Aubrey rebuffs him, Maturin tells him that he is acting irrationally and fanatical.

At one point, Doctor Maturin suggests that they stop for a while at the Galapagos Islands, where he can gather sample specimens of some of the rarest plants, insects, and animals on earth. However, the driven Captain indicates that there is no time for such trifles, and they immediately head out to complete their mission.

Several days later, there is a dispute aboard ship and the doctor is accidentally wounded. The Captain, concerned about his friend's condition, orders the ship back to the Galapagos where Maturin can heal. With the doctor near death, the Captain senses that had he listened to his old friend's suggestion, this dire situation would never have happened.

Fortunately, in the days that follow, the doctor recovers, and the Captain guardedly allows him to go on the outing to gather the rare specimens on the island -- the trip he rejected earlier in order to pursue the Acheron. At one point on his field trip, Maturin climbs a hill, gazes out to sea, and then to his utter amazement sees the Acheron sitting there docked at the edge of the island! What had eluded the crew for months was now suddenly docked at the doorstep, and in an extremely vulnerable position. Quickly the crew seizes the opportunity, sails around the island, and destroys the Acheron.

This is a perfect example of the life response in action. When the Captain changed his attitude and took responsibility for the grave conditions of his friend by heading back to the Galapagos where he could heal, he created an opening that allowed the doctor to discover the vulnerable ship. By changing his perspective, the captain aligned with powerful positive conditions that enabled him to fulfill his and his crew's mission.

Consciousness--responsibility in a Collective Work
In a collective work, anyone can feel what is known as Consciousness--responsibility for the entire collectivity. It means he must first of all be aware of everyone's characteristics, mental and temperamental, capacities, psychological inheritance, etc. At his own level of consciousness, all these will have direct or indirect or inverse representation. To be able to feel responsible for what a colleague does outside as it has emanated from his own corresponding trait is consciousness--responsibility. (MSS)

These are the never ending ways of life's subtle workings. To be aware of them is to become conscious, and to enable a vast mastery over life.

Taking Responsibility for Lack of Strength Relative to Society
Society does not teach character to its people. It is not part of the education system. It is done mainly by parents. Or one learns through the unfoldings and hardships of life. When the school system, the upbringing of children through schooling, the society's values, etc. start teaching the nature of and how to elevate character, then those who are psychologically weak will be able to become strong, and thus defend themselves from malevolent and mercenary influences. It also takes a multi-side knowledge of what is happening around us, so that we have the mindfulness to perceive the influences -- positive and negative -- around us.

The spiritual view of life is that we are responsible for all. That we cannot blame society or anyone. That if we want the world around us to change, we need to change first. Life will then respond in kind accordingly.

The active political view is the opposite. When the outer changes, we will be less exploited. (That view itself is a sign of inner weakness.) It is not an invalid way of looking at things and relating to life. It does work, but slowly through life's -- i.e. Nature's -- difficult method.

The universe is contained within. We can change all conditions outside ourselves from within. Also from that higher consciousness there is a concentration of energy that prevents anyone from exploiting us. In this way, we are the Masters of life, instead of being its helpless victims.

Any negative outside ourselves can be related to an inner wanting quality. Then if you change the inner quality, the outer instantly responds in kind -- for our benefit! Then we become life's master, reversing the equation!

ARTICLE: Taking Responsibility, Growth, and Accomplishment
How taking responsibility in situations is a key to success and happiness in life.

Willingness to Change
How one responds to the revealing of one's own limitations in a situation is a great determinant of one's ability to accomplish. Those who see their weakness and change it, have a far greater ability to accomplish.

TO BE CATEGORIZED

Taking Responsibility

Example of Power of Not Blaming Others and Instead Taking Responsibility

Yesterday we had invited our friends, an American couple, who were leaving this country. My husband had to go with a friend to view a car and so I was left out with cleaning the house and cooking all alone. But the sincere apologies from my husband left me cool. It was 5'o clock and only then I started cooking, the guests too arrived. I was not satisfied with the cooking. But as usual I prayed to Mother, "please rectify all the defects, the half cooked peas in the pulav, the burnt smell in the kulfi ice cream."

When the dinner was over the guests were praising the food, and I told them, "sorry I should have cooked more dishes, but I didn't plan earlier and so I was late." Usually I would have blamed each, and everyone from my husband to the cooker. But my change of not blaming anyone, but accepting and then confessing the mistake made the dinner tasty and the guests happy.

One more life response was my son -- who was suffering from food poison for the past two days and was not at all eating -- started eating from last night. The inner change within me to please the guests got a good life response. Surely the inner moves the outer. (Durga Karthik)

On Withholding Blame of Others

-When life bears down on us and exerts pressures, we can respond positively or negatively. Those who take responsibility rather than blame others, grow as individuals, and set the stage for positive response from life. On the other hand, those who blame others tend to suffer further negative consequences.

-Complaining about others, life is a false, anti-spiritual movement of powerlessness, wanting vital urge, and a limited, exclusive view of the truth of the matter.

-The more you complain, the more the object of your complaint (e.g. spouse, workmate, or boss) will disappoint.

-At each point you are ready to blame others, hold your tongue. Better still, take responsibility.

-One can remove complaint on a scale from banning blame on the outside, to eliminating blame in one's feelings; to overcoming it even as a mental thought. They are progressive forms of non-reaction.

-It is best for a manager never to blame an employee, but instead to get at the root cause of problem, and from that knowledge make the necessary change for improvement. (Having the attitude of learning from mistakes is a great one that we can all foster in our lives.)

-He who sees the speck in another's eye should remove the log inside his own is a well known spiritual insight. In other words, don't complain about, criticize others. Instead be humble and focus on changing your own wanting nature in that context. As a result, life will cooperate from all quarters, and you will grow as a person.

-Often when you complain about others, there is a corresponding negative quality inside yourself. E.g. if I am intolerant of my friend's lack of organization, it shows the limits of my nerves that cause me to be bothered by it. Therefore, it is an opportunity to investigate why I have this limited, intolerant nature. Making that effort will enable me to grow while evoking powerful positive response.

-Our own grievances towards others, our complaining about them is a sure sign of our own deficiencies.

-See problematic circumstances as a response to oneself and not lay blame.

-The ego despises failure and feels abused. It seeks to compensate by blaming others for its failure. Watch for and overcome that tendency.

-Ego is at the root of blame and not taking responsibility. Therefore, develop a more harmonic consciousness within, and you will be far less likely to blame, seeing instead the wider truth in things, including one's own responsibility in the matter.

-In Pride and Prejudice Darcy does not blame Wickham for the elopement, but instead takes responsibility and goes ahead and apprehends him, which has the life response effect of winning Eliza's love, providing the greatest happiness of his life.

-Every time you blame someone in your mind or actually, offer it to the Mother, so that tendency can cease forever.

Real knowledge does not come from blaming oneself or feeling sorry for oneself. Instead, when we see our defects, we should consciously try to outgrow them.  (2009-2011 Q1)

Grievances, Complaining is Sign of Our Own Limitations
Our own grievances towards others, our complaining about them is a sure sign of our own deficiencies. And yet ironically, grievances and complaints is a first sign of awakening to our own limited nature.  (2009-2011 Q1)