~ People Responsibility

But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously— take God seriously. Micah 6:8

People responsibility is a concept that is slightly skewed to personal responsibility.  Personal responsibility is an “I” statement.  We take care of our issues and we have to modify our behaviour for the good of others.  People responsibility is more like the relationship that is outlined in the Micah verse above.  It is looking beyond ourselves and putting our private lives on the line so that others may be helped.

This is a much more pro-active relationship with others; we need to look not only at our peace but also to the situations of others.  If we do nothing to stop someone from doing themselves a damage then by omission we have become an accomplice in that action.  

The basis of community is just the above.  We care for and about those in the community – regardless of its focus – to the benefit of each other and for the good of the life of that group.  The minute that public responsibility is lost the community begins to degenerate into chaos and uncaringness.  If a community vision is forgotten then in the Bible the message of Proverbs 29:18 is that the people perish.

Any community group, even down to that of the nuclear family needs a vision that gives shape to the dynamic within that group; this has been called boundaries in the family concept.  We all need boundaries not just for our personal well-being but also for the well being of the community.

People responsibility is just the taking care of others as well as we take care of ourselves.  That rather sounds like a Jesus statement but it wasn’t meant as a quote of His “love your neighbour as yourself” policy.  There is a certain amount of uncomfortability in this relationship because it means ensuring that the people you relate to, even casually, live within the vision of the relationship.  Obviously, the closer the relationship, there will be greater investment in looking after the good of those people.

The failures of humanity have been to a large extent the result of our failure to care about the well being of others.  This ranges from the disparity of the rich and poor peoples right down to the breakdown of family relationships everywhere.  Our capacity to look the other way is a reflection of our brokenness before God and toward each other.

Recently there was a Facebook acronym that took of took off all over the world.  It was four letters “RUOK” followed by a question mark.  It stood for “are you OK”.  Perhaps this is something that needs to be introduced in the vernacular not just in those moments when someone is down or upset but also when we see someone contemplating or about to do something stupid.

For the benefit of all especially those close to us can we take God at His word and. 

“He's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love,