I think life can be metaphorically compared to economics: everything has its price.

The price for freedom is personal risk. The price for safety is freedom.

 Understand that the price you pay for your reality is a choice, a way in which you create your reality yourself. Psychosocial reality comes with a price. An endeavor costs time, energy, and probably even real money. Communicating an idea costs the risk that it will be negated, disputed, shot down, and maybe you will be a social cast-aside because of your ideas.

I was, for some time, involved with a grassroots activist group. We had a lawyer on our side and one of his favorite phrases was: “Civil disobedience means nothing if you are not aware of how you are being disobedient, why you are being disobedient, and the risks of your disobedience.“

The moral of this one powerful sentence is an important feature of the 21st Century Enlightenment: personal responsibility.

 For us to be effective, to change our psychosocial reality, to change our world, to benefit individually and as societies, and to make good choices, it is imperative that we are aware of what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and have some sense of the risks and costs involved in what we do.

After awareness, we must realize that, if we move forward, we do so at our own risk. If we don’t tackle the challenges that are our own making, if we don’t gather enough information, if we don’t consider the context of what we do and we fail, there is no one to blame but ourselves. One of my first blogs for this project, What do People Want?, touched on this concept in political terms:

A political shift (and one is sorely needed) can only come when the citizens of a democracy realize that they voted for their politicians, that they knew their representatives were corrupt, lying, self-serving, power-hungry people and yet, when election time rolled around again, they vote for them again!

 In individual terms—having to do with you and your decisions and interactions—there is no difference.

You, and only you, control your determination and your choices. Even though other people, social conditions, and various other outside influences can and will probably affect your outcomes, to assume responsibility is much more productive and conducive to growth and development that being irresponsible—which will get you nowhere.

Easy ways to express personal responsibility include, for example: If you make a mistake at work—admit it, own it, and fix it yourself. Or, if you know how to do something properly yet you take the easy route (or cheap route or short route or whatever) and your endeavor doesn’t go well, then there’s no one to blame but yourself!

This is a difficult way to live your life. It takes suspending your ego and taking heat from others—your boss, your spouse, police, etc. But be careful, if word gets around that you’ll assume responsibility for anything, you’ll quickly become a scapegoat.

If living this way is difficult and I am advocating it, then I must think there’s some benefit, right? A combination between awareness and personal responsibility in politics would prevent history from repeating itself. The idea that this silver-tongued politician is better than the last silver-tongued politician is a result of placing blame for problems on the first politician—not ourselves.

If you took responsibility for your mistakes at work, you could learn from them, not make them again, instill a sense of trust in your superiors and the organization as a whole, which might lead to more responsibility, more money, and more fulfillment in your job.

Taking the easy route is always tempting. Why? It’s easy. But if something needs to get done and you know how to do it right, just do it right. The outcome will be closer to what you actually wanted in the first place. This is precisely why knowledge is power, why it’s better to know things even if you think ignorance might really be bliss.

Remember why you get up in the morning—to do stuff. And the only reason you can get away with doing stuff is because you’re a free-acting, autonomous individual. Make good choices, you probably already know how.

It’s a topsy-turvy world when billionaire bankers are supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement, especially considering their primary target is billionaire bankers.

As manager of one of the largest bond investment companies in the world, Mohamed El-Erian has frequently been known to say things like:

“A peaceful drive for greater social justice can unify people from diverse cultural backgrounds, political affiliations, religions, and social classes.”

And:

“It is important to understand OWS better and engage it appropriately.”

I’m sure this guy isn’t making many friends with his elitist colleagues whose rather posh livelihoods are inextricably wrapped-up in the status quo of global economics and finance, the very status quo groups like OWS would like to deconstruct. What could possibly be going on? Why does this seem so counter-intuitive?

My theory is that El-Erian is among a group of people participating in a new way of thinking, a way of interacting for benefit. Here at the THEE online project, we’re calling this 21st Century Enlightenment thinking. Here’s why:

• El-Erian and other 21C Enlightenment thinkers realize that the world is quickly shrinking, bringing the endlessly diverse cultures, societies, and peoples of the world ever closer together. For any one individual or any society to succeed, an understanding of the perspectives of the other will be crucial.

• To understand a particular viewpoint and engage it appropriately is a hallmark of 21C Enlightenment thinking. This link shows how THEE describes it in terms of individual interactions. Obviously, we’re all different, even within common cultures. And if we want anything, we have to interact with each other. Remember the previous blog “Other People.”

The root of all prejudice is ignorance. And it is all too often that prejudiced parties have no desire to learn about anything that isn’t already familiar to them. As individuals and societies, choosing to know will be the first step.

El-Erian once recounted a lesson his father taught him, saying: “When my father was an Egyptian diplomat posted to France in the early 1970s, he insisted that we be exposed every day to a range of national and international newspapers that spanned the entire political spectrum. When I asked him why we needed such a proliferation of papers, his answer was a simple one: It is a constant reminder that there are many ways to think about the same issue; and no one should assume that they always have the right approach.”

THEE would call this a perspective centered mentality and it’s going to come in very handy in the coming generations. However, this mentality has its own limitations, as do the variety of others. Understanding how these people think is a key to unlock how to interact with them, for your and everyone’s benefit.

With 21C Enlightenment thinkers, many things will seem counter-intuitive (like the banking elite supporting grassroots democratic movements). Much of this revolution of thought will require a shedding of previously-held conventions and ways of thinking that have cemented themselves well into the fabric of society.

You too can participate! It’s as easy as choosing to know. Learn about people, both within and outside of your own society. Be open-minded and well-rounded. Be a force for change in a world desperately searching for one.