The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible - Bastiat Institute

Chapter 35 • Merryberries 213
“Hmmm. Let me think.” Doobie tilted his chair back and puffed
on his cigar. He might have looked wise except that he almost lost his
balance. Recovering, he said, “Responsibility must be accepting the
consequences of your own actions. Yes, that’s it! It’s the only way
to grow, you know, to learn.” The smoke around Doobie thickened
as he puffed faster, trying to think hard about responsibility.
“No, no,” interrupted Mary Jane. “That’s too selfi sh.
Responsibility is taking charge of others. You know – when we keep
them from harm, when we protect them from themselves.”
Jonathan asked, “Which is more selfi sh? To take care of yourself
or to take charge of others?”
“There’s only one way to fi gure this out,” declared Doobie. He
stood bolt upright from his chair, knocking it to the fl oor. “Let’s take
him to the Grand Inquirer. If anyone can explain responsibility, he
can!”