Personal Development for Smart People Forums - View Single Post - Where does responsibility end and unreasonable expectations begin?

medaille · 09-10-2007, 07:10 PM

This is an issue that comes up all the time.

Especially, when I talk politics with conservatives (being that I'm more liberal and we often have different opinions).

I really agree with Zukin about this being an important issue, because the end result is that no one takes any responsibility. While this is true in many areas, I think modern medicine is one of the most disgusting areas to me. There is just so much for us to know just to live a healthy lifestyle in this confusing chemical ridden world, and almost all of it lies outside mainstream knowledge (although I think the 80-20 rule plays a big part here).

There's a lot that's done outside of our control/responsibility that if we were to try and take the control back would seem excessive. An example would be fluorides in water/toothpaste. Almost everybody consumes fluoride in their water and their toothpaste, but there still is a very small but healthy debate as to whether it should be used as a supplement for people. Almost nobody chooses to take on that responsibility because it is still outside their awareness to even make a choice.

Or homeschooling vs unschooling vs public school vs private school. What's the best method of helping your kid do well with their life? Again, most people are on autopilot and make the socially common decision.

Regardless of the the topic to be debated, I think the media does a tremendous job of stifling the discussion and make a polarized debate out of what should be a more organic exchange.

We're at a point where the essential task for our society is to remove the ignorance from society and to remove the structures who solely exist to perpetuate ignorance. How do we do that? I wish I knew. I just wish I could turn the control narrative off and let people talk normally for a while. It seems like the only answer that makes sense is to just stop listening, but that's hardly a solution that reverses the issue.

09-10-2007, 07:10 PM	#12 (permalink)
medaille Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 104	This is an issue that comes up all the time. Especially, when I talk politics with conservatives (being that I'm more liberal and we often have different opinions). I really agree with Zukin about this being an important issue, because the end result is that no one takes any responsibility. While this is true in many areas, I think modern medicine is one of the most disgusting areas to me. There is just so much for us to know just to live a healthy lifestyle in this confusing chemical ridden world, and almost all of it lies outside mainstream knowledge (although I think the 80-20 rule plays a big part here). There's a lot that's done outside of our control/responsibility that if we were to try and take the control back would seem excessive. An example would be fluorides in water/toothpaste. Almost everybody consumes fluoride in their water and their toothpaste, but there still is a very small but healthy debate as to whether it should be used as a supplement for people. Almost nobody chooses to take on that responsibility because it is still outside their awareness to even make a choice. Or homeschooling vs unschooling vs public school vs private school. What's the best method of helping your kid do well with their life? Again, most people are on autopilot and make the socially common decision. Regardless of the the topic to be debated, I think the media does a tremendous job of stifling the discussion and make a polarized debate out of what should be a more organic exchange. We're at a point where the essential task for our society is to remove the ignorance from society and to remove the structures who solely exist to perpetuate ignorance. How do we do that? I wish I knew. I just wish I could turn the control narrative off and let people talk normally for a while. It seems like the only answer that makes sense is to just stop listening, but that's hardly a solution that reverses the issue.