Sovereignty & Responsibility

Sovereignty requires responsibility and responsibility demands sovereignty.

Sovereignty is taking ownership of one’s life, one’s body, one’s thoughts, and one’s decisions. Beliefs are thoughts held more rigidly, and thus you take ownership of them too. Making decisions can be onerous, especially if you have been psychologically harmed in the past.

Collectivism is the opposite of sovereignty. Going along with a group relieves the onus of responsibility and making decisions. It is easier to let others make decisions for you. If things go wrong, you are then able to blame someone else.

Collectivism does not promote growth.

Evolution…growth…is the result of making one’s own decisions and then experiencing the results of those choices. If you don’t consciously and intentionally make your own decisions, you will not reap the benefit of the experience. You will simply see yourself as a victim of circumstances when things go badly, and lucky or supported when things go well.

In my opinion, collectivism was designed and promoted on purpose. It is rather clever. Sovereignty and responsibility can feel heavy and risky. Within collectivism, you simply make one choice (e.g. religion and political party) and then just accept whatever the group tells you to accept. Back in the day, voting booths even provided levers so you could simply, with one flip, select all members of the same party.

Blindly following what your doctor tells you is another example that is decidedly not taking responsibility for oneself.

In the eyes of the Universe, you are deciding nevertheless. You are creating your own karma regardless.

I describe karma as hearing one’s own song. You sing and the Universe plays it back to you. You are not judged by the Universe; you are judged by yourself. The Universe simply provides the scenery and the timing. When you are the actor, you are focused on the act. Some time later, you are the observer and thus have an opportunity to judge that act.

This post is not meant to be judgy or foreboding. You reap what you sow, it’s just not always obvious.

I prefer to see this as empowering. We are the choosers. We are the deciders. We are the creators. We can accept this gift with joy and appreciation—or we can cower from it with fear. That too is a choice you are given the freedom to make.

Challenges are not meant to thwart your freedom or your sovereignty. They are meant to provide experiences of empowerment. You are the one who overcomes the obstacles. Congratulate yourself often.