Inside Out

Our Responsibility

“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children. Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

Today, I feel, our society is not doing that great. It seems to me that we are not taking care of our planet as we should. We let politicians and corporations pursue short-term goals, that undeniably hurt our planet in the long run. Personal gain and individual wealth are more important than collective well-being and true happiness. Many worship and idolize the loud lifestyle of celebrities. The voices of moderation get lost in the daily noise of what we call news. Maybe I am wrong.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a priest and a vocal opponent of the Nazi dictatorship. He was arrested, imprisoned for one and a half years, tried, and executed just weeks before Allied forces liberated the concentration camp, where he was held captive.

70 years ago today, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was killed by hanging, stripped of all clothes, but not his faith and spirit.

Today we should remember this noble man and our responsibility for each other.


6 thoughts on “Our Responsibility

  1. Great post. You are right about what’s happening to our planet. But the world is led by ego, money and power and until that changes, we are all just mere sheep following our shepherd’s to our demise.

    Thanks for teaching me about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I was not familiar with him and will read more about him.
    Shine On

      • How will they loose their attraction? When man realizes these evils are not important in the bigger picture. Unfortunately, we are running out of time and resources and we may never learn this lesson.

        As Daniel Quinn wrote in his novel Ismael, “there are takers and there are leavers in this world.” The premise of the Takers’ story is ‘The world belongs to man.’ …The premise of the Leavers’ story is ‘Man belongs to the world.’

        The reasonable voices are being drowned out by the corporate owned media mongers.

        Just One Woman’s Opinion

  2. Well said.

    The biggest problem is that people, in general, in western culture in particular, are focused on friends, family & themselves (and their goals).

    People are ignorant of the interdependence we all have on each other from the farmer who grows our food, to the bees that pollinate our plants, from the Amazon (which used to generate a quarter of the oxygen we breathe – don’t know the statistics now), to the impact modern technology has on Nature & the Planet.

    Some of our younger folk think food comes out of a supermarket and money comes out of an ATM machine. They are ignorant of the hundreds of people’s lives who depend on every action we take (in our own lives).

    There’s too much media attention on what’s wrong with the world and not enough attention on what needs to be done to make it right.

    Every little action must count (if the Planet is to survive).

    If a simple YouTube can go viral and reach millions, why can’t positive, mindful living, caring for the environment and loving kindness to others, go viral?

    • Thank you for that excellent contribution.
      In the end, readers determine what goes viral and what not… When and where do we learn values and ethics? I would say, during childhood at home and in school (at least that was the case for me).

  3. Agree.

    I was bought up in the 1950s when no food was wasted and we fixed things ourselves (or went without).

    My Parents word was law and I had (too many) chores to do and no pocket money. I wasn’t allowed out of the house until I’d cleaned & polished my school shoes and ironed my school dress (after I was about 10 or 11).

    I’m sure I was taught to sew a button on before I could walk 😀

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