This question appeared on the Houston Highway bulletin board:

    “Where did a sense of responsibility go?”

    I don't know who posted the ad there, but it seemed to me that it turned out to be true. Where is the sense of responsibility? Why does it seem today that people cannot go beyond blaming someone else or something for their problems, feelings and actions?

    Here are some examples of this:

    I was looking for coffee at the gas station, but the decanter was empty. Then I told to the man behind the counter, "Sorry, there's no coffee in the coffee pot." I have asked. As he left, he pointed to a colleague 4.5 meters away and told, "His department makes coffee!" – he replied. Department? In a one room gas station near the interstate?

    Another example: during a flight across the country, a flight attendant told to those seated: “We apologize to you, the promised film will not be shown today. By mistake, the catering took another on board", she announced.

    Next situation: The pizza delivery service seemed to have lost our order. At this time, my family was sitting in the car and feeling hungry, and I was waiting and walking back and forth. At this point, the guy behind the counter tells, "Don't blame me, my turn just started!"

We often hear things like, "It's not my fault," "It's not my job," or "It's not my problem." One of the reasons I found the bulletin board sign so appealing was that I totally agreed with it. But I was amazed that someone could take personal responsibility seriously enough and feel responsible enough to post this post on this board in the first place.

I wrote this book because I also deeply felt it.

    So who is this book for? This book tells about:

    “When will this department be able to do its job properly?”

    "Why can't they communicate better?"

    "Who dropped the melon?"

    "Why should we make these changes?"

    "When will someone teach me?"

    "Why can't we find better people?"

    For anyone who has heard or asked questions such as: "Who can give us a clear idea?"

    While these questions may seem trivial, they lack a sense of responsibility (I prefer the term "personal responsibility") and lie at the heart of many of the problems we face today.

    On the contrary, changing our manner of thinking and asking questions with a stronger sense of responsibility is one of the most effective and efficient means to improve our manner of life.

From John J. Miller's: The Question Behind the Question.

Note: this book was translated as part of the Asahi Books project.