Everyday Canvas

Wrongdoing and Responsibility

Prompt: Curious, situation... Do you become partially responsible once you definitively know of wrongdoing?

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This depends on whose wrongdoing and under which conditions. I know lots of wrongdoing is going on in North Korea. Am I responsible for all that? To say that I do would be having a big head, wouldn’t it?

Am I responsible for the wrongdoing in the whole world? Definitely not. Is it my responsibility to talk or write that such a wrongdoing exists? Yes, but only as long as my actions do not hurt my country, my family, and my friends.

On the other hand, if my neighbor is abusing his child or wife, I have a responsibility to alert the law. If I know a dear member of my family is involved in a crime, should I just shrug it off? Definitely not. Dear family member or not, responsibility is responsibility.

Also, I don’t believe in partial responsibility. Accidental responsibility is possible, however. If I slip and fall against another person and he gets hurt, that may be considered an accidental responsibility due to my carelessness.

In addition, there are other delicate points to consider. One of them is: my understanding of what wrongdoing is versus the other side’s understanding. As such, there are fine lines that are difficult to cross. Shall I tell my friend his spouse is fooling around? Just think of the possibilities here. I guess, I would face the spouse and tell her to shape up first. In the same vein, do I have the right to scold my neighbor’s child when his mischief doesn’t concern my welfare? I don’t think so, but I do have the option to alert the child’s parents.

I don't think "to each his own" or "mind your own business" is the right way always. On the other hand, feeling responsible for everything going on in the universe is like acting as the emperor of the universe. In short, it is up to each person to find the happy medium concerning the responsibility with each situation.