Being responsible means that I do what I can to help other people when an opportunity arises. It means that I am willing to help anyone who needs help.
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, talks about being responsible for helping others. He refers to this as “universal responsibility.”
To develop a sense of universal responsibility—of the universal dimension of our every act and of the equal right of all others to happiness and not to suffer—is to develop an attitude of mind whereby, when we see an opportunity to benefit others, we will take it in preference to merely looking after our own narrow interests. But though, of course, we care about what is beyond our scope, we accept it as part of nature and concern ourselves with doing what we can.
A sense of responsibility toward all others also means that, both as individuals and as a society of individuals, we have a duty to care for each member of our society. This is true irrespective of their physical capacity or of their capacity for mental reflection. Just like ourselves, such people have a right to happiness and to avoid suffering. We must therefore avoid, at all costs, the urge to shut away those who are grievously afflicted as if they were a burden. The same goes for those who are diseased or marginalized. To push them away would be to heap suffering on suffering. If we ourselves were in the same condition, we would look to others for help. We need, therefore, to ensure that the sick and afflicted person never feels helpless, rejected, or unprotected.
It is worth emphasizing that “universal responsibility” does not mean helping every person on earth. I am not able satisfy every person’s basic needs. I am not able to comfort every person’s suffering. I am not able to protect every person from harm. It makes no sense for me to act in ways that drain all of my personal resources, leaving me in a state of suffering and unable to care either for myself or for others. Yet, though my ability to help is limited, I will do what I can to help a person in need when the opportunity arises regardless of who that person is.
- Dali Lama (1999). Ethics for the New Millennium. New York: Riverhead Books. Quote taken from pages 162-163.
- Dali Lama (1999). Ethics for the New Millennium. New York: Riverhead Books. Quote taken from page 169.