re: responsibility
Unfortunately (?), any functional society is hierarchical. That means that certain individuals 'near the top' are responsible for setting the boundaries for individuals. If those boundaries are not properly set - for example, if a government does not properly regulate the drug manufacturers - and something goes wrong, then those individuals at the top do bear some responsibility for the actions of (greedy) others.
Furthermore, in a democracy, each individual citizen bears some responsibility for determining who is 'near the top' of their society. Thus, if we elect (and support) leaders who fail their leadership responsibilities, we bear some responsibility.
For example, most people, I think, believe that the German people bear some responsibility for Hitler. Without their whole-hearted support, Hitler would never have been able to perform the level of evil of his regime. But most German people pled ignorance as to that evil, or claimed they had no power to stop it. Are Hitler and his henchmen solely responsible for that evil, or do the German people bear at least partial responsibility?
We are all responsible for our individual actions, including when we support leaders and movements. We cannot jettison that responsibility until and unless we withdraw our support. We cannot abdicate that responsibility under a banner of 'I cannot make a difference' or 'I didnt know' when the signs are there. We must realize that our individual actions do have a consequence on the actions of others, and act accordingly. |
