Vie oblige

I read once, though no matter how hard I look I can not locate the source, that humans have an obligation to God to live the life He gave them as joyfully as possible. I find this concept to be intriguing on a number of different levels.

Merriam-Webster defines obligation, among other ways as “something one is bound to do : DUTY, RESPONSIBILITY.” The Oxford English Dictionary lists these:

5a: The fact or condition of being indebted to a person for a benefit or a service received, a debt of gratitude.
5b: A benefit or service for which gratitude is due, a kindness done or received.

That human beings have an obligation to God to live joyfully implies a couple of things:

1. that, based on the definition of “obligation,” life is a benefit worthy of gratitude, and
2. that some greater power exists at all.

Let’s assume that existence is a gift, that life is a kindness done, what, then, is someone who does not believe in God as defined in western religions (or even any sort of higher power) to do? Does that obligation still exist? And is it possible to have a formal contract or promise, as yet another definition of obligation states, made for you by another? If you look at how human society functions, promises are made for us without our consent practically from birth.

We’re born into a society that expects us to follow certain rules of law. Theoretically, by choosing to continue to live within society we’re obliged — we have an obligation — to obey those laws (I say theoretically as, based on current behavior, there doesn’t seem to be any penalty for not obeying those laws).

And that last bit, “as joyfully as possible” also opens an interesting door: what if one can not live joyfully? Let’s assume that God, or some higher power, exists. What sort of cruel diety would oblige his or her creations to live joyfully and then make some of those creations constitutionally incapable of fulfilling that obligation?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, not only in connection with my own search for a happier life but also in an attempt to reconcile my own moral reponsibility for the actions of not only my government but also for the actions of representatives of my government.

What is my share of the moral burden for the senseless deaths of hundreds of women and children in Iraq? What price am I expected to pay for the torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib? Does the fact that I don’t think we should be at war, that the government running my country is not the government I chose, that I know that it’s wrong to terrorize another human being without just cause (and just cause is always deeply personal; it’s never an issue that rises to the level of nationalism) in any way mitigates my responsibility?

And do these responsibilities, these obligations, in any way impact my ability to live joyfully?

Just more random thoughts…