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Don't forget responsibility with your liberty

The West Coast is building the Statue of Liberty's brother: the Statue of Responsibility. It's a timely reminder.

Sketch of the Statue of Responsibility

Illustration: Statue of Responsibility Foundation

Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl was taken to a concentration camp during World War II. He survived; his parents and his wife did not. After he was liberated in 1945, Frankl wrote Man's Search for Meaning, which outlines his philosophy: Everyone is capable of finding meaning in life, even in adversity.

What many don’t realize is that Frankl offers more than recommendations for personal growth. Part of his work is built around the idea that freedom, though it must be cherished, can never stand alone. Individual freedom from oppression has no meaning unless it’s linked to responsibility for our actions. Frankl observed that many people are frightened by responsibility and take refuge in freedom.

Frankl’s observation about individuals is also a forceful critique of the economy. Many people in the West have for years enjoyed the fruits of a free-market economy that swept away obstacles to achieve unprecedented growth. Though rules compelled businesses to take responsibility for the environment and their employees, freedom has become the central concept of economics. Responsibility is an afterthought that seldom came up at board meetings.

In his plea for responsibility, Frankl suggested the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be complemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast to serve as a visual reminder that freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. Alas, Frankl didn’t live to see it—he died in 1997 at the age of 92—but a location for this monument will be chosen this year by the Statue of Responsibility Foundation, which hopes to finish building next year. The statue is a powerful image of two hands grasping each other; one hand symbolizes personal responsibility; the other, those for whom we feel responsible—society’s outcasts, the environment, the world’s poor, humanity as a whole.

We took inspiration from the Statue of Responsibility for this month’s cover. The accompanying story shows human beings are driven by more than a stunning mix of egotism and greed. The article reveals altruism is a motivation long overlooked by economic theory. Even in times of recession, it turns out people are selfless enough to take voluntary pay cuts to prevent colleagues from being laid off. This is the kind of responsibility the world needs.

Viktor Frankl’s work and the prospective statue remind us we can only truly call ourselves free if we accept responsibility.