The acclaimed psychologist Carl Jung is famous for formulating the concept of the shadow, the less attractive part of our personality, which we often try to ignore or not work with. The shadow self is the darker side of ourselves that we repress or ignore, but still drag behind us as invisible baggage in everything we do. Jung hypothesised that if you didn’t embrace the entirety of your being, including your shadow side, you couldn’t live a full life without restricting mental bonds.
Exercising any right without consideration of our responsibilities is likely to infringe on other people’s rights or be destructive. Understanding and acknowledgement of the symbiotic relationship and umbilical cord between human rights and responsibilities to live our lives fully and without restriction are not new. . Acknowledging the indivisible relationship between rights and responsibilities, the bill outlines the responsibilities that flow from each of the rights enshrined in our Constitution.
However, somehow the Bill of Responsibilities disappeared in obscurity to the extent that it is largely forgotten. One rarely hears about it or talk about it. Indeed, I cannot remember one instance where our political leaders referred to the bill in the past few years. Starting with promoting responsibilities at school level is an honourable and worthy approach, but it cannot stay at school level. The insights in the bill and its subsequent call to duty and action are too important not to make much more of it for all South Africans. Everybody should understand and acknowledge the inseparable bond between our rights and our responsibilities and enjoy the privileges of their rights by exercising their duties and responsibilities to others.