Do we hold ANY towards our fellow human beings? If so, to what extent?

My mom and brother were comparing guns the other day , and though I am grateful they have 'protection' I am very set in my disinterest to own my own.

I just do not ever want to carry the responsibility of having taken another human life.

This is not a discussion on guns, by the way. This is just to get perspectives on how much a part of the 'human family' people feel they are or if it is only loved ones that are 'family' enough to be concerned for or responsible to.

I read this earlier harmony, and came back to it
How strange it sounds when you say you're mom and brother we're comparing guns!
In the UK a mom and son would probably be comparing his new girlfriend to his old one or new shirts he'd just bought!

yeah, my mom is a force to reckon with,,lol

and my brother is retired military, munitions specialist,
,trained with the seals

so defense(and offense) is one thing he has expertise in


they started FREE shooting classes for women recently and my mom joined so she has a renewed interest in guns,,,

This idea of universal responsibility to each other is a very complicated, but a very important concern. I will have to think how to talk about it before I say anything too detailed, but I do want to ask for a bit more clarification on the term "responsible."

It's always been a rather odd concept and word, with lots of people mixing it up with "obligations" and others confusing it with "logical consequences." And then since there is also a very different idea about it built into most philosophies and religions, I often see the one meaning get used to declare the other void somehow.

Not without roles.
Not without a unifying culture delineating what those responsibilities are, the consequences for not upholding those responsibilities, and the ability to somehow enforce those consequences.

There has to be a hierarchy of importance. Otherwise everything is a crisis.
That would be too stressful and lead to constant indecision and mass suicide.


Whatever your culture has socialized into you which you then practice through your values and morals.


The only way you can really do that is by rationalizing.
(and this doesn't even take into account the myriad daily activities that indirectly consume human life)
Are you an American? You pay taxes? Accept the benefits, privileges, rights, of America? See yourself as an American citizen?
Bush invaded Iraq, Afghanistan.
Bombs were dropped.
Every American is "responsible" for the wars perpetrated in its name by its people.
Doesn't matter if you didn't support the war, or didn't vote for Bush.
If you are an American you are responsible for Americas wars, and all the people killed in them.
You are also responsible for aid being given to foreign countries, liberation, all the "good" things too.

If you identify with a group, you are just as responsible for what the group does as a group as any other member until you renounce the group, separate yourself from it, and actively work against it.

Other than that, most "normal" people don't want to carry that responsibility either, it's why mass shootings, serial killers, aren't the daily norm everywhere.

It could be said, historically, in this culture, that is what helped define adulthood. Not wanting to accept that responsibility, but knowing the potential exists that you'd have to, so preparing for it in whatever way possible. Not only to keep yourself from having to accept that responsibility, but protecting yourself so you can keep someone else from having to accept it because of you.


There is no human "family."
I think you should look up the term "family."


There are different levels of "concern," as well as "responsible."
Concern and responsible aren't black or white, either/or, on/off terms.

I am more concerned and responsible to my "loved ones" than I am strangers.
In practice I may be more financially concerned and responsible to my boss or investors in my business than to "loved ones."
If I worked for the government I may be more concerned and responsible to national security than loved ones.

Well, our Government seem to think they have responsibility towards others, as they can't wait to give our money away to support them..

I have a close relative with in the special forces (uk)
I don't doubt that your dear old mom is a force to be reckoned with, I was making a comparison with our cultures!

The gun's you chose to have depends on your lifestyle or where you live.

Example: You live in outback Alaska.

You always carry a sidearm even if you're only to look to put food on the table.

If you're talking about believing in social responsibility ...then yes!

I believe we see peoples social responsibility in times of tragedy, whether a multiple road accident, train wreck, terror attack, when you see ordinary people caring for injured people as best they can in dreadful circumstances until the professionals arrive, they all have my upmost admiration.

Agreed!

that can be said of nearly anything though

its better to have medicine and not need it, than to need medicine and not have it,,,


its better to have a car and not need it than to need a car and not have it


its better to have a cell phone and not need it than to need a cell phone and not have it


,,,the significant thing for people making purchases (of any kind) is how LIKELY they are to need it,,,,and what qualifies as 'needing'

Many very good considerations here. Spot on about the citizen being responsible for their country's actions.


This topic has been slanted towards the guns you mentioned in your OP.
I read it as a query of how people value social and personal responsibility. Not as a discussion on guns.



Interesting observation, I would like to read more on that.

Every person born into a society (a society is a group of two or more in agreement) is taught responsibility.

As a child, we are taught to be responsible for our actions and words.
As a teen, we become responsible to our peer groups (friends) and families.
As young adults, our responsibilities start to include those of the opposite sex for relationship purposes.
As adults we become responsible for raising our offspring.
As age accumulates, our outward responsibilities change to more personal ones. The degree of responsibility changes.

I believe that responsibility is a personal proficiency that we are taught over years by wisdom. Everyone has different degrees of responsibilities determined by their own value system.

You can assign responsibilities to others based on socially established or personal values but that person has to accept and act on the responsibility personally.

Socially, some responsibilities are enforced by laws and penalties.
(gun registry is one example)
Personal responsibility often carries more extreme penalties.
(unlocked loaded guns around children is one example)

In reality, there is no responsibility. Responsibility is a social construct that has personal ramifications. To prove this one only needs to look at the methodology of Man.

There are people that never learn to read or write.
There are people that don't care for their children.
There are people that don't care for themselves or others.

Those people are often labeled as 'social outcasts'.
The fact that they can exist, proves that responsibility is a construct of the human mind.

I carry a gun because frankly, we live in a crazy and unpredictable world.

Really?

yes and I don’t know about you, but if a guy is slaughtering mass amounts of people/trying to kill me, I don’t want to wait around defenseless for the police to show up. If some guy comes at me with a switchblade, I’d much rather pull a gun and handle the situation myself than have to pull my phone, dial 911, give my location – if I even know it, and then wait for police to arrive. Chances are I’d be slashed or dead. If it’s one thing in life I believe, it’s to never be a victim. I refuse to be dependent on someone else for my well-being.

This might be a little off topic but I find the argument for gun ownership to be lame.

Just because you are able to do something, it doesn't necessarily make it a good idea to do so. Human beings are the only species on the planet that constantly makes decisions detrimental to it's own existence.

The human digestive system is that of a vegetarian, there's no need to carry a gun to feed oneself or family. The human race has become overly dependant on a meat based diet which actually contributes towards the rise in illness such as cancer. Processed foods which encourage high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Develop weapons so we can kill people we don't even know from great distances and indiscriminately.

We claim to be the most intelligent life on the planet so why do we make such dumb choices?

I think as a species, we're socially irresponsible

Who would want to live in a place like that?

I disagree with that.

Human beings are omnivores. They eat meats and vegetables.
Humans are predators. Binocular vision and canine teeth.
Around 2 million years ago it was our diet of meat proteins that allowed our big brains to develop. http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/99legacy/6-14-1999a.html
We are hunters AND gatherers.

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