I Didn’t Do It

business-responsibility-concept_23-2147504644 (Source)

The concept of blame is always interesting. It can be shared, or put entirely on one individual or event, or some complicated combination of the two. The concept of fault is a strange one, as it is so abstract and complex, but even the smallest child can point their finger at someone else and distribute it as they see fit. The origin of blame probably relates to some animal somewhere along the evolutionary chain realizing that certain behaviors caused bad things to happen (like getting eaten or dying of disease) and so began to blame them for the consequences so that those behaviors were avoided by the rest of the population.

However, though it may be useful in some cases, assigning responsibility is often extremely subjective. From the perspective of one person, another could have completely shaped the outcome of an event; yet for that other person, it was a mild occurrence they may not even remember the following day or week. This causes tensions and gives rise to the idea of a misunderstanding; which is often little comfort to those who have been seriously affected. Though some events obviously have more impact than others, it is often difficult for one person to determine the effect their actions will have on another person, as their perceptions and priorities may be drastically varied.

Responsibility also has developed a negative connotation. Instead of taking responsibility being seen as a positive thing, it always seems to be a punishment more than a reward. The language used to speak of something good is never referred to as accepting fault; it is more likely to be described as “accomplished” or “made happen.” Children are told to take responsibility for their actions, which is usually followed by a swiftly dealt punishment if they actually do; or at least it used to be. It seems more and more now that blame is simply shifted to someone else, without any consequence ever really following an action. This is not difficult to believe, as to say one person is at fault would alleviate the other party, when really it belongs to both parties, whether equally distributed or not. Pointing fingers will accomplish nothing if both parties perceive themselves in the right.

What is there to do then? Not much, really. Frustrating as it is, there is often no solution to disputes where the blame is shared or unclear to one involved party. Subjectivity prevents the issue from being determined fairly for both parties. That is the real reason life isn’t fair: there’s no such thing.

4 thoughts on “I Didn’t Do It

  1. Huh… I never thought of responsibility having a negative connotation before… interesting. Now that you mentioned it, I see it! I always say, “I am lying in bed avoiding my responsibilities.” I didn’t occur to me I was giving “responsibilities’ a bad connotation… but I was! But… like people say… ignorance is bliss.

  2. This is a very interesting perspective! I think it is definitely human nature that we are quick to blame someone else, but in other situations, blaming yourself can also be crushing. I also never thought about the negative connotation associated with the word responsibility, but now that you point it out, it seems very obvious!

  3. Ah, the gutting realization that life isn’t fair and never will be because a truly fair system is impossible, a.k.a. the thing I realize every once in a while and then blatantly ignore because ignorance is bliss and I can then pretend that life will work out the way I want it to. I suppose the only solution for successfully putting fault where fault is due is to put cameras literally everywhere and have AIs analyze the footage to determine who is right and who is wrong — a completely feasible solution.

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