What does it mean to live responsibly?

Living responsibly is the act of accepting one’s beliefs, values, morals and living by them. It, in
essence, means that responsible living does not allow one to live by other people’s morals and
ideas, thus implying an individual’s control of their life. Fromm argues that those living in the
having mode hold on to what they learn from others without reflecting on it and hence lack
control of what they believe. On the other hand, individuals living in the being mode reflect and
react positively to what they learn and thus have control of their beliefs. People who live
responsibly rely on who they are as opposed to what they have.
Responsible living requires one to question and challenge the knowledge they acquire and
beware of contradicting issues. People who live responsibly are said to know while those that
live irresponsibly are said to have knowledge. “Knowing means to penetrate the surface and to
strive critically and actively to approach truth ever more closely.” 1 Living responsibly is
therefore defined by what you are and not what you have. Responsible living denotes living a
meaningful life. 2 Individuals that live responsibly receive satisfaction for the character and
conduct of their personal lives.
Responsible living can be described by one’s character and their total orientation to life about
individuality and suchness. It has the characteristic of personal activity through the productive
use of human powers. For one to live responsibly, an individual must be willing to give up their
egocentricity, selfishness and be mindful of the welfare of others. The will to give, share and
make sacrifices for others is manifested in individual behavior of responsible living. 3
Participation in voluntary activities and helping the poor bring the satisfaction of responsible
1 Fromm, 1977
2 Ayer, 1990
3 Fromm, 1977

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living. Fromm states that the sons and daughters of the Russian upper class found pleasure and
solace in living with and helping poor peasants lay a foundation for the revolutionary struggle in
Russia. They had been born into the irresponsible life of idleness and injustice and, therefore,
sought to live responsibly by helping the poor. People who realize the needs of the poor and are
capable of rendering the necessary aid are said to be irresponsible if they do not rise to support
them.
Individuals rely on what they know and what they have to feel secure. The fear of the unknown
and the risks associated with moving forward cause regression in life thus resulting in
irresponsibility. Responsible living necessitates taking risks and facing challenges in day to day
activities. An individual whose life is characterized by exponential growth in their area of
expertise is said to live responsibly because growth is brought about by taking risks to venture
into new options. Fromm argues that people admire those with a vision of the new, those who
break a new path, and have the courage to move forward. Responsible people have the fear
associated with risks, but they do not succumb to their fear as opposed to those who live
irresponsibly and succumb to their fears. He also states that individuals who are what they have
become a pathetic testimony to a wrong way of living if what they have is lost. They are driven
by the desire to add more to what they have and live an unfulfilled life because they are never
themselves. Responsible individuals who are what they are cannot be deprived of their security
and sense of identity. It, therefore, demonstrates that people who live responsibly are identified
for who they are and not what they have.
Living responsibly requires one to experience life not as a possession but as what they are. Those
who regard life as a personal possession are afraid of losing what they have and this result in the
fear of death. 4 A person that lives responsibly does not hang on to life but is grateful for what life

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has to offer and demonstrates this by living life fully. Losing the fear of death should not begin
as a preparation for death but as the continuous effort to live life responsibly. The more
individuals rid themselves of the desire for possession in all its forms, the less strong is the fear
of dying since they have nothing to lose.
Fromm argues that If “well-being”- functioning well as a person, not as an instrument- is the
supreme goal of one’s efforts, Breaking through one’s narcissism and breaking through the
property structure of one’s existence lead to the attainment of this aim and results in responsible
living. It implies that individuals live responsibly by setting themselves free from chains of their
culture. Living responsibly requires the breakthrough from material possession to the activity
centered mode, from selfishness and egocentrism to solidarity and altruism.
“To achieve a society based on being, all individuals must actively participate in their economic
function and as citizens, Hence, the liberation from the having mode of existence is possible only
through the full realization of industrial and political participatory democracy”. 5
Living responsibly is highly determined by an individual’s meaning of life. For most people,
then meaning of life is determined by happiness which is brought about by having their needs
met and wishes fulfilled. 6 Understanding what individuals want is essentially about the interplay
of nature and nurture mediated by norms.
According to Fromm, “the goal of living is to grow optimally according to the conditions of
human existence and thus to become fully what one potentially is; to let reason or experience
guide us to the understanding of what norms are conducive to well-being, given the nature of

4 Fromm, 1977
5 Fromm, 1977
6 Ayer, 1990

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man that reason enables us to understand” 7 . An individual whose life is characterized by this goal
lives responsibly.
Living responsibly is hindered by people’s property driven materialism cultures and their
different intrinsic tendencies toward narcissism, an orientation in which all one’s interest and
passion are directed to one’s person. Fromm argues that the tendency of being self-centered
results in irresponsible living within a society. For an individual to live responsibly, they must
tackle the challenge of self-centeredness. However, Fromm states that it can be challenging to
detect narcissism in oneself thus causing a barrier in its eradication. Responsible living he argues
requires a breakthrough of both narcissism and property-driven existence. According to Fromm,
if an individual has the will and the determination to loosen the bars of their narcissism and
selfishness, and has the courage to tolerate the occasional anxiety, then a decisive new factor
enters into the dynamics of the process.

7 Fromm, 1977

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Bibliography
Ayer, Alfred Jules. “The meaning of life.” (1990)
.Fromm, Erich. “TO HAVE OR TO BE”? (1977)