The Freedom of Unlimited Responsiblity

In my previous post, we were talking about responsibility.

Now you might be thinking: "My responsibility: where does it begin and where does it end?"

So imagine:

Your horse is 40 km away.

Are you responsible for your horse?

Now of course, you cannot do something physically seen.

But only because you are responsible for your horse, you feel it's your horse.

The moment you are not responsible, the feeling that your horse belongs to you has gone.

Important Distincion

So here is an important distinction to make:

  • Our ability to respond is one thing.
  • Our ability to act is another thing.

Actions require many capabilities and many ingredients, but responsibility is only a question of willingness:

Your willingness to respond.

So what is your range?

What if your horse goes 400 km away?

Or 4000 km?

Is there a limit to your responsibility?

I guess not.

Of course, you cannot act on anything:You can only respond to anything.

So let's get this distinction properly once more.

  • Our action is always limited.
  • But our responsibility is unlimited.

So in training situations, no matter what, we respond to it to the best of our ability.

What we can do you do, what we cannot do, we cannot do.

In general, in life, if we do not do what we cannot do, that’s not the problem.

But if we do not do what we can do, we are a drama.

For example: A rider has fallen off his horse:

  • Intellectually seen we might say: I’m not responsible.
  • Experientially seen we will say: I am responsible!

Because:

  • If we’re a doctor, we will help.
  • If we’re not a doctor, we will call one.
  • We can hold his hand while waiting for the doctor.
  • We can give him a glass of water
  • We can give him a towel.

But if we’re not responsible - if we think we have no ability to respond - we will stand there like a snowman. Therefore, remember:
  • Only our ability to act is limited.
  • But our ability to respond is unlimited!

Again, this is an important distinction.

Remember the Semantics

In ST, responsibility doesn't mean: "Who did it?" or "Who's to blame?"

That's being a snowman - that's not working in ST.

If your horse is okay, it's your responsibility. If your horse doesn't react how you want him to react, it's your responsibility. If the outcome of your training session is not what you want, it's your responsibility.

You can always respond.

You can always make a conscious choice.

Being Unlimted Responsible is the Only Way

Being unlimted responsible is the only way Straightness Training can function for you.
  • No excuses.
  • No blaming.
  • No complaining.
  • No WLB-ing

Straightness Training will only become a full-fledged experience when you are in unlimited response.

Again, our actions are limited, our hands are small, but our responsibility is limitless.

So when you start playing the ST game, just think:

  • If I make it, it’s my responsibility.
  • If I don’t make it, it’s my responsibility.
  • If I’m at the peak, it’s my responsibility.
  • If I’m in the dumps, it’s my responsibility.
  • If I win, it’s my responsibility.
  • If I lose, it’s my responsibility.
  • If I am happy, it’s my responsibility.
  • If I am unhappy, it’s my responsibility.

Fix this one thing:

  1. take unlimited responsibility

and suddenly you see, there is a new sense of freedom in everything that you do with your horse!

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