Naturalistic PaganismThing on Thursday #5
Recently, a commenter posted:
“I would like to see responsible action more defined, but could see that as something that would be refined over time by further posts from the community.”
So let’s take that issue up today. It’s such a huge topic that we can only hope to scratch the surface, but we can begin the dialogue nevertheless.
As always, this is not meant to decree how others should believe or act; it’s about discovering values. Answer only for what’s true for you.
Responsible Action was one of the original elements of the Fourfold Path. It affirmed that humanity has both the capability and the responsibility to meet our challenges without recourse to supernatural aid. Essentially, we’re talking about ethics within a naturalistic worldview. The lack of some supernatural father figure telling us what to do is not license to go nuts; rather, we reap what we sow. Our behavior causes many if not most of our challenges and it can meet those challenges as well. If we hope to prosper, it’s up to us.
There are two parts to responsible action: responsibility and action. Action suggests it is not enough to theorize or speculate or hope; we must actually get off our behinds and do something. This is not an armchair path. Responsibility suggests we choose acts that are somehow beneficial or harmonious within a larger context.
The question for today is: within what larger contexts ought we be responsible? To whom or what are you responsible?
Please choose your top three.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
About Thing on Thursday
This post is part of a series of councils on matters vital to the future. The name represents both the generic term for, you know, a thingie, as well as the Old Norse term for a council of elders: a Thing.Each week until the Winter Solstice, Thing on Thursday will explore a new controversy. Participation is open to all – the more minds that come together, the better. Those who have been vocal in the comments are as welcome as those quiet-but-devoted readers who have yet to venture a word. We value all constructive opinions.
There are only a few rules:
- be constructive – this is a council, so treat it as such
- be respectful – no rants or flames
Comments will be taken into consideration as we determine the new direction of Humanistic Paganism. This will also greatly shape the vision that unfolds in our upcoming ebook Our Ancient Future: Visions of Humanistic Paganism.
So please make your voice heard in the comments!
Naturalistic Paganism 
This puts me in mind of what I’ve been telling myself lately, “The Places We Roam Is Our Home.” Meaning that these places you encounter, whether first time or more frequent, are part of your home. And as part of your home, you have a responsibility to be a steward of these places.
All this stems from me being frustrated by how people keep throwing trash around and I then have to experience it, and pick it up on regular basis, when I would rather not. I felt like my home was being trashed and then realized that others who were throwing the trash didn’t think of those places as part of their home, let alone a shared home. If people started thinking of the places they roam as part of their home, maybe they would treat it with more respect and therefore be responsible.
To me, “Responsible Action” as a principle of Humanistic Paganism is about getting to a point where you go, “Oh, shit, I have to do something about this.” It’s about having to let go of some things and make tough choices, because humans cause their own problems, and humans need to fix them.
“humans cause their own problems, and humans need to fix them.” I like this.
I’ll further what I said by saying this: if you aren’t regularly getting out of your comfort zone in practicing Responsible Action, you probably aren’t acting very responsibly.
Can there be ‘like’ buttons added here? Because I *Likes* this.
Hmm… that kicks me in the butt too. Haven’t been getting out of my comfort zone much lately…
Haha yeah, exploratory practices can be quite engrossing.
One of my votes was for “local community”, but I feel called to mention here that, for me, “local community” encompasses *everything* in that community: the people, the animals, the environment (wild and human-made).
I *feel* responsible to pretty much everyone and everything on this list, but I recognize that I can only *act* for a portion thereof, so I hold the All in my heart and mind while acting on behalf of the Parts. It is, if you’ll pardon my bathos, thinking cosmically, acting locally.
Good distinction between feeling responsible toward everything and actually being able to act responsible toward a limited amount.
I found it very difficult to pick out only three as my top choices.
I often find it funny when reading or hearing how the word ‘animal’ is used, as if we are not animals ourselves. I realize that this is something that many people realize and often use the word animal for lack of a better word to distinguish other creatures from ourselves. Even so, I have to wonder if this could be better phrased.
I also mention this as I feel as animals ourselves, we also have a responsibility to ensure the well-being of our fellow creatures, whether for consumption, companionship or otherwise, they all deserve some respect and we a responsible for how we treat them or how we allow others to treat them. i.e. close quarter food factories v.s. free range.
Also, in my view, since everything is interconnected I feel that responsibility is summed to how you treat and use everything in mind with how it connects to everything else. For whatever connections your actions, interactions, or the things you use have, you are responsible for how it affects others even if those connections are many degrees apart.
>Also, in my view, since everything is interconnected I feel that responsibility is summed to how you treat and use everything in mind with how it connects to everything else. For whatever connections your actions, interactions, or the things you use have, you are responsible for how it affects others even if those connections are many degrees apart.
That’s what makes it so hard to choose just three!
That is why I chose, environment – it’s all about ecology, animals – they have rights too!, and all of humanity – we’re all in it together. Because you can’t have one without the other in my mind.
And I don’t think I would choose any other ones because the individual and family & close friends falls into Humanity for me, and local community or group affiliation falls into ecology.
The Truth – speak the truth, even if it hurts, I can agree with on many subjects, but completely disagree with on others – especially when it comes down to managing someone’s emotions. There are good lies as well as bad, just like there are good people as well as bad. Lies are lies, and people are people, its what you do with it, or do as a person, that matters.
For the record, lying is a rare phenomenon for me, but I have found that there are those few rare times when it is crucial. Also, being blunt is does nobody any good. There definitely needs to be some tact.
Pingback: What transcends you? « Humanistic Paganism