You must have heard this from someone saying to you or anybody else that “look at you all grown up, when will you become responsible?”. In many cultures, age is often considered the parameter for a human being to become responsible. Do you think age makes a person responsible?
As we grow up, we understand that it is not just our life that is dependent on our actions, rather there are people around you who will be impacted by what we say or what we do. That is the stage when we realize that there are things around us that need to be taken care of, not by anybody else but ourselves.
Does Age make you responsible?
There is no benchmark or a specific age when humans become responsible and understand their duties, but society often sets a limit by calling an 18-year-old an “adult”. When a person reaches that age and is not very responsible, they tend to get scared and generate a feeling that they are lacking some skills or walking slowly as compared to others. Assessing our life span in stages is one way of categorizing, although the categories are very debatable.
If we say an 18-year-old is an adult, is he/she supposed to change their lifestyle, way of walking, their way of dealing with situations, in one day? It is a slow and gradual process which should not be expected to be imbibed with “age” per say, but with experiences and knowledge.
Why does One feel scared of being responsible?
A lot of people believe that once they become responsible for a person or any situation, it certainly restricts their freedom. The person whom you are responsible for becomes dependent on you, and even if you don’t entirely perform all the actions in their accordance, somewhere in your mind you do have a thought “what will be the consequences of my actions?”
This dependency on actions can make you feel as if you are “adjusting” according to someone else, and this situation can make a lot of people scared as no one wants to hold on to their actions because of anything/anybody.
The last reason which can make one feel scared of taking up the responsibility can be interference in your life. Once you take up responsibility for anybody/anything irrespective of their will, they will end up interfering a little in your life which not everyone is ready to accept easily.
Is it normal to be scared of responsibilities?
The question here is highly subjective. “Being responsible” can have multiple definitions itself, for you being responsible can be taking care of your own and being strong enough to accept your own actions but for you, the meaning can be being able to take sole responsibility for your parents. This definition changes from culture to culture, society to society and upbringing to upbringing.
Why does one take up responsibility? Before understanding why people are scared of taking up responsibility. The most common reason is that they “care” for the person or the situation.
Not being responsible can be considered a highly negative trait in the eyes of society. One should not be forced to take up responsibilities but should have the feeling from within to take the situation into their hands and handle things with care because they care enough to manage things with their efforts.
People have their own horrible experiences and end up becoming irresponsible, because they want to minus the emotion of love and care from their system. The truth is that this mechanism of denial and forcing yourself to become a cold-hearted person will bring no good to you, rather will make you immature in the eyes of others.
Even if we talk about a contradictory situation where we say that “why even care what others are thinking of me”, being responsible is a trait that helps you as an individual to grow. You realize that every step you take in your life will impact you and the people around you, so you end up being cautious and careful.
So, irrespective of your age, irrespective of what people expect from you, it is always better to think before you speak or act. This is where you start becoming responsible.
If you love someone or care for someone, don’t let the fear of losing your freedom stop you from taking up your responsibility because if they care about you enough, they won’t become a restriction for you nor will they ever become a barrier for you. Moreover, you can never fake yourself and make others happy around you – Be Yourself, Love yourself.
