Human civilisation is based on the value of responsibility. Without it, the very enterprise of building a society is in danger. At Polokwane next month, the ANC will debate ideas for the future. One idea, in particular, has the potential to transform and uplift our country: a Bill of Responsibilities for our schools.
The proposed Bill of Responsibilities is based on the Bill of Rights, and seeks to articulate clearly and inspiringly each of the responsibilities corresponding to each of our hard-won and precious constitutional rights. Our right to freedom demands that we assume the responsibility to respect the freedom of others. The right to dignity demands that we treat all human beings with dignity. Similarly, with each human right, we need to exercise responsibility and integrity. In the proposed document, each right has been reformulated into the language of responsibility.
The Bill of Responsibilities, as an educational document and not a legal one, is planned as a joint project between the department of education and the National Religious Leaders Forum. This idea has been warmly endorsed by President Thabo Mbeki and the goal is to have the Bill of Responsibilities in every classroom in the country so that we can nurture a new generation of South Africans in the spirit of responsibility.
From the beginning of time, human beings have struggled with the notion of responsibility. The Book of Genesis describes how Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. Their immediate response was to try to hide from G-d, who calls out to Adam, “Where are you?” meaning “What has happened to you … why have you sinned?” Adam’s response is to blame Eve. Eve blames the serpent. Both refuse to take responsibility for their actions. Responsibility means taking ownership of the consequences of one’s actions.
Responsibility is the logical extension of freedom. Freedom of choice means that the decisions we make are ultimately our own, albeit with various pressures brought to bear upon us. Because we are free, we must accept responsibility for what we do. Freedom is one of the foundational values of the new South Africa and, therefore, so is responsibility. No human society can function without a deeply entrenched commitment to responsibility. All of the principles of accountability, transparency, and indeed democracy itself, are held together by the binding force of responsibility.
Responsibility affects the socio-political foundations of our society as well as our personal lives. Every decision we make and every action we perform has consequences for the future. This applies to every aspect of our lives. For example, what we eat today, and whether we exercise, will have consequences for our health in the future. Responsibility is about the notion of a work ethic; working hard today has consequences for tomorrow: as the Psalmist says, “Those who sow in tears, reap with joy”. Scott Peck in his book The Road Less Travelled regards a healthy person as someone who has the capacity to delay gratification for long-term benefit.
Responsibility is also about caring for others. The Book of Genesis records that when Cain killed Abel, he tried to shirk responsibility for his actions. Cain’s philosophy of “Am I my brother’s keeper?” is the outlook of those who turn their back on responsibility. Such ideas undermine the foundations of human civilisation. As human beings we must care for one another. Responsibility is about being our brother’s keeper.
The value of responsibility has the capacity to transform every dimension of our lives both on a societal as well as an individual level. A society infused with responsibility is necessarily one that embraces accountability and transparency in governance, and one that embraces commitment to and caring for ourselves and others. Through a passionate commitment to the value of responsibility we can overcome any challenge facing our society, whether in crime, health, education or poverty alleviation.
The Bill of Responsibilities will be launched early in 2008 and has the potential to transform our society. It is significant that this revolution in the moral regeneration of our country will begin with the youth, who must rise to the difficult challenge of demonstrating that they are dedicated to the greater good of society. They need to look for what they can do for our country, rather than what our country can do for them. They can build on the example of the children of Soweto, who in June 1976 unleashed a wave of change that swept away an immoral order, and led to our free new South Africa. We need to recreate the spirit of that momentous struggle as we seek a new era of responsibility.
Ultimately, responsibility is about empowerment. People who take responsibility for their actions are also people who take responsibility for their lives. Our greatest asset in South Africa is our people. We are a nation of heroes, capable of greatness, having demonstrated repeatedly our capacity, with G-d’s help to overcome daunting challenges. A spirit of responsibility in our country will help to unleash the energy, creativity and generosity of the South African people.
Warren Goldstein is chief rabbi of South Africa