From: ibshambat@gmail.com   
      
   I have encountered in a number of  circles the idea that people are   
   responsible for everything that happens to them.    
      
   There are two issues here.   
      
   One is that, yes, most problems have solutions; and, yes, in many cases   
   people’s attention must be directed toward solving their problems instead of   
   whining all day about their bad fortune. If someone is complaining about his   
   bad fortune, the correct    
   solution is to point out to him the situation of people who have it worse than   
   he does, of whom there will always be plenty. If I catch myself feeling sorry   
   for myself, I remind myself of the situation of people in Haiti. If you are in   
   the West, most    
   likely you are privileged by historical and global standards; and that is the   
   case also for the people in the West who are professional victims.   
      
   However neither are we God. The idea that you are responsible for everything   
   that happens to you is both factually false and morally wrong. You don’t owe   
   your situation only to yourself. You also owe it to parents who raised you,   
   teachers who educated    
   you, military and police that protect you, business and labor that provide   
   your prosperity, and intellectuals and Freemasons who gave you your liberty.   
   Morally it is wrong because it would excuse any crime under the sun. If   
   everyone is responsible for    
   everything that happens to him, then if I were to rape you and kill you it   
   would be your doing.  And that is a terrible belief structure to have.   
      
   This issue merits being dealt with by separating the valid from the invalid.   
   It is valid for people to solve their problems; it is not valid to misassign   
   responsibility. If I kill you it is my choice, not your karma or your   
   consciousness. By all means    
   encourage responsible behavior, but don’t either blame or credit people for   
   things that aren’t their doing. See the problems for what they are and   
   address them for what they are.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)