Kujichagulia - It's Time To Talk About The Responsibility Part Of Ujima

Great Ujima:

It is time to discuss Ujima from the standpoint of Kujichagulia, and today I want to look at the responsibility part of this principle. We Know (at least those who have been listening) that Ujima in Gye-Nyame is Umoja in action. Ujima works because responsibility is exercised, but let's take this day to look into the idea of responsibility. Responsibility is the ability to be in control of our actions and words, it is a state of being accountable for one's actions and words. There is a deep level of self-respect and self-love that comes with responsibility. A responsible person knows who they are, they know who they are, they know where they are going, they know what they want, they know why they want it, and they know how to get it...in other words responsibility gives us power.

Many of us do not want to take responsibility, but the reality is that we are responsible for our actions and non-actions. The lack of responsibility breeds anger, frustration, confusion, suffering and the list goes on. Ujima works because we are exercising responsibility for our actions and non-actions. We are not running from our mistakes or trying to hide them from others, rather we are owning up to our errors, fixing them as necessary and doing what is necessary to help us win - so that we can give more credit where credit is due than blame when blame is due. A responsible person doesn't act thoughtlessly or irrationally because he or she knows that she can affect others around her, so she acts accordingly. Responsibility also implies that one will do what he/she says he/she will do...this person is dependable and so people can count on them. Responsibility also means knowing your place in the world, knowing your family history, your community history and a commitment to making things better than you found them....that's responsibility in action!

So today I want you to think about the idea of responsibility. Are you responsible for your actions and non-actions? Do you own your mistakes or do you try to assign blame? And if you find yourself lacking in the area of responsibility, then it's time to get to work.