Taking Responsibility 1

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The nature of 'responsibility' and the various definitions of 'responsibility' are numerous. A simple web-search for the term 'responsibility' yields 349,000,000 hits! How can consumers be educated into taking responsibility if the term itself is so vague. A dictionary definition suggests that responsibility is a 'duty, obligation, or burden'. Yet some of the examples contained within this collection show that the taking of responsibility need not be a burden; though it may be a duty and may become an obligation. One dictionary defines responsibility as 'the social force that binds you to your obligations and the courses of action demanded by that force'. These papers form part of the debate on the courses of action demanded by a prevalent social force today. This force is leading us towards demanding a sustainable future, one in which all consumer citizens play an active part in determining the social and ecological landscape we are shaping for ourselves and future generations. We, as educators, have an important role to play in guiding future consumer citizens and we must accept this responsibility also as our duty -- not as our burden.