The Joy of Responsibility

What’s worse than being busy? Not being busy enough

When we are swamped with work and worn down by family responsibilities, it’s easy to think how nice it would be to get away from it all.

But a responsibility-free life would be miserable. We want to be wanted. We need to be needed. There are few things we hate more than feeling as if we’re not necessary. 

We might complain about all that we need to do, but it’s far better than not having enough to do. And we are better for it.

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat writes:

If I didn’t have kids there’s a 5 percent chance that I’d be doing something more radical in pursuit of sainthood; there’s a 95 percent chance that I’d just be a more persistent sinner, a more selfish person, because no squalling infant or tearful nine-year-old is there to force me to live for her and not myself. 

A life without responsibilities might appear tempting, but a carefree lifestyle is the equivalent of cotton candy. It fails to satisfy.

Giving ourselves to noble endeavors can be exhausting, but it is the path to a meaningful life. There is joy in responsibility: