Creating a responsibility index makes you responsible and accountable, thereby enabling you to be responsive and needful not only for your-self, but also to your family members, friends and relatives and to the society at large. Responsibility comes after identifying your role in the family, at the workplace and in the society. As a member of family you may have to take different roles, as husband or wife, father or mother, as son or daughter, or even more roles with your extended family. The very fact that you have definitive roles to play keeps you alert. List out the responsibilities you need to impart based on the roles that you need take up so that you are able to add value and influence   the life of various members of the family, relatives and friends. The roles and responsibilities need no restrictions and can run down to your organisation and the society. The more you are clear about your responsibilities associated with your roles, the more focus you will have in fulfilling those responsibilities. The emotional connect towards your roles with a feeling of accomplishing your responsibilities will release happiness in the reservoir of your mind. By fulfilling your responsibilities, you are elevating the day, as well as life of people around you.

Responsibility index is a measure of how much or to what extent you are able to fulfil your responsibilities in the various roles you take up. More roles and more accomplishments of responsibilities in those will scale up your responsibility index. Your success is a matter which has a high correlation with your responsibility index.

Story

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.  But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about father,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.”  So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl!  When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?”  Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his day, he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

It is our responsibility to always respect, care and love our elderly parents.

Activity

Write down your responsibilities in any of these roles,

a. parent 

b. son/ daughter

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Quote

“The price of greatness is responsibility.”– Winston Churchill

Take Away

1.  Know your roles and responsibilities. Responsibility index is a measure of how much or to what extent you are able to fulfil your responsibilities in the various roles you take up.

2. More roles and more accomplishments of responsibilities in those will scale up your responsibility index.