"Response-Ability" in the Gulf

I am sure I am not the first to use this “response-ability” play-on-words, nor will I be the last. In light of the current situation in the Gulf of Mexico, it seems fitting.

President Obama spoke just days ago about the current oil spill in the Gulf and his disdain for the “spectacle” that occurred in Congress. He was referring to BP pointing the finger at the owner of the oilrig, and the oilrig owners pointing the finger at the drill manufacturer, etc. Obama called for a new amount of responsibility to be taken by the parties who are to blame for the on-going plume of oil into the water.

Now, BP and others are responding. British Petroleum is on their second attempt to block up the spill. First, they tried the large concrete container. Now, they are to lower a mile-long pipe to stop up the leak. Every news program in America doubts the success of this second attempt, and now news is flying around about the leak being much worse than was originally predicted.

How could this happen? How have there been so many days of oil spewing into that water? Well, to be honest, this “blame game” played by the companies, agencies and politicians affected our collective “ability to respond,” our “response–ability.” People spent too long passing the buck, now everyone is stuck with a situation that appears more and more bleak. The painful part is, we all know that it could have been contained more quickly, avoided, or even prevented, if someone had just changed his or her actions. But who?

To speak of responsibility once more, if the topic has not been touched on enough, who IS really responsible for this mess? I will tell you honestly, without the blame-game: I am. And you are also. We ALL are responsible for this. It makes us feel better to say that BP made the mistake, and maybe they did, but let us not forget the integral reality of this situation. We told them to run an oil pipe through the Gulf. We told them to drill in the oceans. We told them to do whatever they need to do to get us gasoline and to get it to us cheap.

By driving our cars, by packaging our food in plastics, by flying in airplanes, by any piece of our lifestyle, we required BP and every other oil company to do what they do. We sit and watch the evening news and shake our heads and say “Those bastards at BP. Who the hell said they could run a pipe through there?” You did. And I did.

Once we take responsibility for this oil spill ourselves, we can move on from here. We can evaluate the situation and maybe say to each other; “You know, this wasn’t worth it. We need to act differently so this doesn’t happen again.” As long as we point the finger at politicians, or agencies, or companies like BP, things like this will continue to happen. But, if we choose to take responsibility for this ourselves, we will change our actions and create a new reality; one where our “response-ability” consists of prevention, good decisions, and ultimately, self-awareness. If you ask me, that would be the best kind to have.