The Courage to Carry Responsibility

It seems that there is too little willingness on the part of too many people to accept real responsibility – for themselves or for their decisions, or for the soundness and success of enterprises or institutions, or, in some instances, for much of anything at all. So many seem to want to get out from under, with a maximum amount of so-called security and a minimum amount of personal responsibility.

(Some, it seems, are unwilling to be responsible even for their own acts, and are disposed to shift responsibility for their own sins and shortcomings.) And yet if the world is to run – if anything is to run – if there is to be soundness and security, someone has to take responsibility; someone has to make decision; someone has to carry the weight and the worry; someone has to see that there is safety and solvency; someone has to face the facts.

But those who are unwilling to carry any real weight seem to feel that they have unlimited license to criticize the decisions that other men make, and to misjudge motives. Every honor or office, every privilege or right carries with it real responsibility. Even the right of criticism carries with it real responsibility. And yet from the comfortable position of having little or no responsibility, and of having the advantage of second sight, men harshly judge other men who have heavy responsibility, and who have to make decisions on first sight.

It takes courage to carry responsibility. It takes courage to make decisions. It takes courage to take criticism – especially from those who won’t share the risk or the weight or the worry – especially from those who play little or no part in the performance.

Men after all are men. Some are wiser than others, some more able, some better informed, but we cannot expect perfection of any of them. We can expect honor and honesty, integrity and intelligence, prudence and candor and courage. All these we may expect – but not perfection.

And with this thought before us, we cite again these lines from Lincoln: “I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so.” That’s about as much as men may expect of other men – the very best they know how – along with a willingness to accept a share of real responsibility.