Perhaps a better place to start will be to define Virtue: According to google search, Virtue is not valuable in itself, but rather valuable for the good consequences it tends to bring about. Bearing this in mind therefore, what is Responsibility as a Virtue?
In the last article, we defined Responsibility as the state or fact of being answerable or accountable for something within one’s power, control, or management but as a virtue, responsibility denotes an uncommon excellence in the exercise of the skill of moral judgment and action. It is the skill of moral perception whereby a person is sensitive to the moral aspects of their behavior, a skill which allows a person to carry out moral evaluation and judgement of a problem or need.
Responsibility as a virtue means that you take up the task or responsibilities that others have dropped realizing that you are doing it for God who has granted you the rights to do it. We need to be sensitive or responsive to the needs of others irrespective of who they are, whether they are known to us or not.
The virtue of Responsibility opens our eyes to opportunities to do good and helps us to explore these opportunities to uncover the risks involved and the power or courage to prevent any harm from happening, with faith and the believe that The Lord wants to make us an instrument for the frontline and if we by any second thought turn our back, we will be seen as a traitor and will deserve nothing but pity.
St. Josemaria Escriva, in one of his books “Furrow” said that “If we Christians really lived in accordance with our faith that the greatest revolution of all times would take place and that we will feel completely responsible when we realise that before God, we have only duties”, duties such as trying to save those souls who live with us and to sanctify each of those people who work with us or even our fellow students. So, don’t get annoyed when you encounter difficulties in the process of carrying out these duties rather re-strategize your plan and if it means allowing your of responsibilities to overlap with the others, do it. Reject any ambition for honours, think instead about your duties, how to do well and the instruments you need to accomplish them. In this way, you will not yearn for position, and if one comes, you will see it just as it is; a burden in the service of souls. (Furrow Pt.976)
It is my belief that the virtue of responsibility occupies a unique place in the moral needs and moral achievements of Mankind and this is the reason why it now occupies an important place in our moral dialogue.
There is no gain-saying that responsibility is one of the central virtues of modern liberal societies. It is a virtue that we demand of both people and organizations – speaking of socially responsible corporations, managerial and individual responsibilities and so on. Therefore, let me conclude by saying that responsibility as a virtue in a nutshell, involves responding to a whole host of normative demands, within a field of mutual accountability.
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