Sometimes I find myself in a real bind because of the obligation industrial complex that takes root in my head. I find myself going from manufactured obligation to obligation wondering where all my time went and how what once was a joyus thing turned into something obligatory and then turned into a resentment.
The word obligation comes from latin. From the word ob which is latin for to, and ligare, which means to bind. When we obligate, we bind ourselves to something or someone. We literally tie ourselves up in obligations. But if I take a serious inventory of my obligations, I can distinguish between bindings that I've made for myself out of some made up sense of responsibility, and obligations I've actually made to other people. For me, the former usually outweighs the latter, significantly.
Some obligations are so nefarious we don't even know we've made them. For instance, I am not obligated to give a quick or immediate response to every question asked, or every request made of me. In fact. I am not obligated to reply at all. There are a ton of obligations that I take on that can be modified or even abandoned. And those obligations can often mean more freedom and a better ability to think clearly.
