Comedian, writer and former mayor of Reykjavík JÓN GNARR, writes a weekly column for the weekend issue of Fréttablaðið, Iceland's most read newspaper and we publish an English version here at Iceland Insider.
During the boom of the Icelandic banking system you could for the first time in Icelandic history see news about and interviews with people who received previously unheard-of super-wages or bonuses. The amounts could even run into the billions. When asked about this, the answer usually was that it was quite reasonable that they had good salaries because their responsibility was so huge.
Responsibility is probably the most important, but at the same time the most misunderstood concept in the world. It is difficult to define, but it is a necessary part of everything that people do. We normally don’t talk much about it, though. People think it is boring. It kills the mood. There are no catchy songs written about responsibility. But when it is left out, it usually comes back with a vengeance.
Responsibility is one of those strange things that can flow between people and often lands on those who don’t deserve it, and often there is one person who assumes responsibility for a large group. Some have a strong sense of responsibility, while others seem to have none. Many people have more reasons why they should not accept responsibility than why they should do it.
Responsibility is the sister of authority. It is inflictive, both in theory and in practice. Parents “assume” responsibility for their children and then they “are” responsible for them. Responsibility means to be watchful, make a distinction between right and wrong, and face what you think is true and real at any given time, and make decisions. Responsibility is a type of foresight. It is an effort and it is wearisome in the long run to be responsible. And often a strange vicious circle begins: When someone is receptive to assuming responsibility, it often leads to others seeing a reason and opportunity to rid themselves of responsibility.
This creates imbalance. This imbalance is the rule, rather than an exception, in human society. The more primitive and crazy the society is, the greater the imbalance. It is only in very civilized urban communities that the balance is good. There, there is a sense of responsibility and willingness to divide it fairly equally between people.
The Vicious Circle of Irresponsibility
The attitude towards responsibility is different between countries. There is, for example, a more general emphasis on the responsibility of the individual in the United States than in Europe. The stand on responsibility in Iceland is in many ways special. I often think about the discussions about trash in the city center. Many people want the city authorities to spend more money on cleaning up the litter. Few people point out ways to get people to stop throwing trash on the street. That would, however, be the right thing to do. There are individuals who make this trash. Icelandic riff-raff. Cleaning encourages more litter and we have a vicious circle of irresponsibility.
Power Is Responsibility
The so-called authorities are in many ways created because of the irresponsibility of the subjects. People get paid for taking responsibility. If the community is a family, the government is the parents. And the more irresponsible people are, the more controlling the authorities become. Institutions and offices become bigger and stronger, and new institutions are formed to watch us and guard us. And it can be difficult to get this responsibility back, because responsibility is power.
A good Icelandic example is the State liquor and Tobacco Monopoly. If everybody was always perfectly responsible for themselves and their actions, the government could probably be cut in half. We would not need any regulatory agencies anymore and the police wouldn’t have anything to do. Responsibility is often what distinguishes progress from slip-ups. It is often the ingredient that makes things work. Those who understand responsibility see this, but others think that it is first and foremost luck or talents that make things work. Power is responsibility.
An irresponsible administrator or leader is like a drunken or distracted parent. Irresponsible power is a bad boss. And there is no love without responsibility. True love is to acknowledge the freedom and independence of another person, but to be ready to catch them if they slip, and to believe you will get the same in return. There is also no freedom without responsibility. Irresponsible freedom is a travesty. Unfortunately we see far too much of this in our good country.
The tragedy of the Icelandic economic wonder is surely the best example of this. It is my firm opinion that responsibility should be as much with the individual as possible, and that people should assume responsibility, and be made responsible, because that way society becomes more mature and healthy. Responsibility is the girder of human maturity. By accepting responsibility we exercise our brain, like the best puzzles do. It forces us to look ahead, see causality, and makes us more capable of taking on challenges. Every little responsibility is a practice. Not to throw litter on the street is a “wax on, wax off” practice in responsibility.
And if we do these simple exercises we will eventually be ready for big and important battles.
Comedian, writer and former mayor of Reykjavík JÓN GNARR, writes a weekly column for the weekend issue of Fréttablaðið, Iceland's most read newspaper and we publish an English version here at Iceland Insider.
During the boom of the Icelandic banking system you could for the first time in Icelandic history see news about and interviews with people who received previously unheard-of super-wages or bonuses. The amounts could even run into the billions. When asked about this, the answer usually was that it was quite reasonable that they had good salaries because their responsibility was so huge.
Responsibility is probably the most important, but at the same time the most misunderstood concept in the world. It is difficult to define, but it is a necessary part of everything that people do. We normally don’t talk much about it, though. People think it is boring. It kills the mood. There are no catchy songs written about responsibility. But when it is left out, it usually comes back with a vengeance.
Responsibility is one of those strange things that can flow between people and often lands on those who don’t deserve it, and often there is one person who assumes responsibility for a large group. Some have a strong sense of responsibility, while others seem to have none. Many people have more reasons why they should not accept responsibility than why they should do it.
Responsibility is the sister of authority. It is inflictive, both in theory and in practice. Parents “assume” responsibility for their children and then they “are” responsible for them. Responsibility means to be watchful, make a distinction between right and wrong, and face what you think is true and real at any given time, and make decisions. Responsibility is a type of foresight. It is an effort and it is wearisome in the long run to be responsible. And often a strange vicious circle begins: When someone is receptive to assuming responsibility, it often leads to others seeing a reason and opportunity to rid themselves of responsibility.
This creates imbalance. This imbalance is the rule, rather than an exception, in human society. The more primitive and crazy the society is, the greater the imbalance. It is only in very civilized urban communities that the balance is good. There, there is a sense of responsibility and willingness to divide it fairly equally between people.
The Vicious Circle of Irresponsibility
The attitude towards responsibility is different between countries. There is, for example, a more general emphasis on the responsibility of the individual in the United States than in Europe. The stand on responsibility in Iceland is in many ways special. I often think about the discussions about trash in the city center. Many people want the city authorities to spend more money on cleaning up the litter. Few people point out ways to get people to stop throwing trash on the street. That would, however, be the right thing to do. There are individuals who make this trash. Icelandic riff-raff. Cleaning encourages more litter and we have a vicious circle of irresponsibility.
Power Is Responsibility
The so-called authorities are in many ways created because of the irresponsibility of the subjects. People get paid for taking responsibility. If the community is a family, the government is the parents. And the more irresponsible people are, the more controlling the authorities become. Institutions and offices become bigger and stronger, and new institutions are formed to watch us and guard us. And it can be difficult to get this responsibility back, because responsibility is power.
A good Icelandic example is the State liquor and Tobacco Monopoly. If everybody was always perfectly responsible for themselves and their actions, the government could probably be cut in half. We would not need any regulatory agencies anymore and the police wouldn’t have anything to do. Responsibility is often what distinguishes progress from slip-ups. It is often the ingredient that makes things work. Those who understand responsibility see this, but others think that it is first and foremost luck or talents that make things work. Power is responsibility.
An irresponsible administrator or leader is like a drunken or distracted parent. Irresponsible power is a bad boss. And there is no love without responsibility. True love is to acknowledge the freedom and independence of another person, but to be ready to catch them if they slip, and to believe you will get the same in return. There is also no freedom without responsibility. Irresponsible freedom is a travesty. Unfortunately we see far too much of this in our good country.
The tragedy of the Icelandic economic wonder is surely the best example of this. It is my firm opinion that responsibility should be as much with the individual as possible, and that people should assume responsibility, and be made responsible, because that way society becomes more mature and healthy. Responsibility is the girder of human maturity. By accepting responsibility we exercise our brain, like the best puzzles do. It forces us to look ahead, see causality, and makes us more capable of taking on challenges. Every little responsibility is a practice. Not to throw litter on the street is a “wax on, wax off” practice in responsibility.
And if we do these simple exercises we will eventually be ready for big and important battles.
