“You aren’t responsible for the actions of others” - Common saying.
There is both truth to this statement, and deception. It is often used to help alleviate our insecurities about the actions taken by others when we are trying to help them, but it doesn’t go to plan. It’s also, often used, to reinforce the virtue of Personal Responsibility.
As Jedi, however, we have to look at the dynamic of interpersonal relationships with more complexity. We need to be aware of how we are perceived by the other person, so that we are aware of what kind of power over them we have. These situations may be passing and circumstantial, or they could be situations developed over time, or they may even be culturally ingrained based on the dynamic of the workplace. Knowing these things are important because they can be the difference in knowing how to resolve or de-escalate a problem or exacerbating it.
Much like the common saying “You aren’t responsible for the actions of others”, we have another that expresses more appropriate the extreme opposite: “It takes two to tango”. It is between these two statements that a Jedi can begin to form the truth.
Don’t believe me? I’ve got a few case studies for you to consider:
Abu Ghraib Detainee Facility. If you have never heard of it, this is a stain upon the Military Police (MP) Corps reputation. According to the MPs who engaged in the cruel and unusual punishment executed at Afghanistan’s Abu Ghraib Detainee Facility, they were following the direction of on site intelligence officers. Pressured by those who they saw as higher chain of command and subject-matter-experts, the MPs on site committed illegal acts against the local national persons accused of acts of terrorism/against coalition forces under their care. The MPs weren’t the only ones that were being controlled either, the detainees were forced to comply under threat of stronger abuse or the perception of being killed.
The sad truth of what happened at Abu Ghraib, is that through an experiment done in 33 years prior to the Abu Ghraib story breaking, we had warning of the power someone believed to be in charge had over those under them. It was, ironically, the “Standford Prison Experiment”. In the exact same setting as Abu Ghraib, the Stanford Prison experiment revealed that under the pressure of someone considered an authority figure will do anything that authority figure tells them.
Before the Stanford Prison Experiment, there was the Milgram Experiment. Both of these were effectively measuring the same capacity of a person to listen to authority. Milgram’s experiment specifically was devised to explore whether or not Eichmann and those that served under him could be considered accomplices to genocide, or if they were simply the victim of human psychology at the whims of someone else directed them?
The Stanford Prison experiment was never fully conducted again (BBC did a partial version of the experiment, with vastly different goals than Zimbardo’s study), as such it wouldn’t have been able to discover outlier persons that fought against the authoritarian.
The Milgram Experiment, however, demonstrated that there are people with a strong strength of character that would not administer the final shock. As others replicated the experiments, they also found that there were those with strong enough character to eventually stop before the experiment was intended to cease.
These experiments should tell a Jedi two things:
1) There is a significant need for us to cultivate our own character in alignment with our virtues and ethics. Obedience doesn’t absolve us from our responsibility to be in control of our actions. Where millions of people that executed Eichmann’s orders were too many to reasonably do anything about, Abu Ghraib was consistent of a very small group within a National Guard Military Police Company. Despite arguments that they were simply following orders, the judicial branch slammed the gavel on all who were involved in the atrocity.
2) That when we are in a position of authority over someone else, it is important that we recognize the power given to us by virtue of that position. While the things we do may not be challenging the the legal or ethical framework like we see in the cases above, we can lead people to do things that are dangerous to themselves or others. Something as simple as denying a cashier the opportunity to go to the bathroom when they ask could increase medical risks of a UTI you are unaware they have.
The story of Abu Ghraib speaks to the circumstance of social conditioning on authority. The first day you enter a workplace, you have a boss you’re suppose to listen to. Thus, a person doesn’t need to know their boss very long before they give into submission.
Ahmaud Arbery. This case study demonstrates the power a stranger has to influence the actions of another person. This example is not intended to debate the validity of the verdict, but rather to illustrate that regardless of intention, actions we take can easily influence the actions of another person.
In the video of the Arbery shooting, you see a the camera man (William Bryan) driving behind Arbery, who is running. And then you see a truck come into view with someone standing outside the the passenger door (Travis McMichael) and another in the bed of the truck (Greg McMichael). Travis McMichael is holding a gun. Arbery, seeing this, and feeling as though he’s been chased by Byran, runs around the vehicle for cover and attempts to get the gun out of Travis McMichael’s hands.
Where a Police officer doing the same thing may not have resulted in Arbery’s reaction- because there is an assumption of training and a minimum of ethical obligation to the person they are trying to detain- a civilian attempting to act in the capacity of a cop is seen as nothing more than a threat. The simple distinction of whether or not Travis McMichael was aware of this is the difference in an evil mastermind, or an incredibly ignorant vigilante.
Again, I have pointed out a rather extreme example in order to illustrate the point. But circumstances that occur between strangers, can even happen in the most innocent of accidents. A few pointedly unkind words to or loudly about a complete stranger can escalate hostilities in the moment, and possibly even lead to a physical altercation.
In this, the Jedi can take the lesson of learning that body language, words and tone all play a role in how someone else interprets what we are communicating. By being mindful of our intentions, and taking a strong look at whether or not we are fully communicating those intentions or something else we can better impact the environment around us to encourage peace over conflict.
Peer Pressure. Peer Pressure is another form of power we have over each other, that can influence what those around us do and don’t do. In fact, it’s so well documented that it’s used as a tool in elementary & middle school learning, 12 Step Programs, and even in the US Army (Battle Buddies). In China, they’ve expanded this theory into to a peer- & social-based pressure model for their “Social Credits” program.
Most people that become drug addicts do so via exposure to a medication that they develop a dependency on, or they are introduced to substance abuse via friends. In a social environment, egging someone on to chug two pints of beer will increase the probability of them actually engaging in the act.
In order for Peer Pressure to work, the other individual has to give you the status of being their peer or at least the want to become your peer (equal). It is perhaps the most dangerous, when the person believes themselves to not be your peer already and is seeking to become one.
By recognizing the role we play as a peer or potential peer, a Jedi can facilitate an environment that seeks harmony over imbalance for those whom enter their sphere of influence.
I’ve given you a lot of examples of how these dynamics can go awry, but it’s equally true that we can use our role in various circumstances to affect change toward peace and harmony. The authority figure can build a strong team of people achieving their own goals and/or the goals of the organization. A stranger can prevent a person from becoming the next DUI statistic. And a Peer can help change a persons life around for the better.
Humans are complex, and while we do bear the brunt of the responsibility of our own decisions- we would be lying to ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge that there are circumstances in our lives where we bear partial responsibility for the actions of others.
With that in mind, however, the never-ending goal of a Jedi should be to discipline themselves in mindfulness; the virtues; the ethics; overcoming aggression, attachments & recklessness; and situational awareness so that they are the only one responsible for their own actions. Of course, we will fail, but it the pursuit of such that speaks to the weight our actions have on the world around us.