I’ve recently created an article about the way that I live my life. Although most comments were positive and some people hold my life model as an inspiration, there were also a few of those who consider my way of life as running away from responsibilities.

Whilst I do agree that some people run away from responsibilities in order to live a simpler life, that’s not the case with everyone leading such lives. The reason my life is simple, for example, is because I did not create responsibilities that would limit my freedom in the first place.

It’s unwise to resent people who made wiser choices and are not weighed down by responsibilities. Yes, some responsibilities may have been not chosen but given by life and those are the karmic ones and it’s important to fulfill them so that you’re free of that karma;

But it’s vitally important to think long and hard before taking up any new responsibility, especially if it’s a long-term commitment. It’s absolutely crucial to think carefully whether you really want to get into it, and if there’s any valid exit door if you find the responsibility too limiting.

I can give you an example from my personal life. My only long-term commitment is having the land in Lithuania. I carefully considered whether I wanted to get into this responsibility and decided that pros outweighed the cons. Plus, there’s an exit door available – I could always sell it should I no longer want this responsibility.

It’s not expensive to keep it as the land is rural and not somewhere in the city. Also, I always have a place to call home, should I wish to stop travelling and settle in one place for longer. I already lived there for six months, to relax from travels and to be completely on my own, and I enjoyed my time staying there.

So this is an example of a responsibility that is not too limiting and there’s an exit plan.

One should be even more careful with the responsibility that has no moral exit plan, like having kids. I’ve heard of many bad reasons people have children, like them feeling lonely so they have kids to fill the void. What a poor reason to bring forth human beings into this world!

It’s vitally important to look at the responsibility long-term. For example, if I look at the land responsibility long-term, I see the benefit of the land price possibly going higher and thus should I want to sell, I would make profit.

Also, it’s one of the most stable investments – people cannot steal it from you, and the yearly costs of the investment (if we consider only land) are very low.

The long-term benefit of having children, for example, is forming whole individuals through positive education to benefit the society. But this commitment will require around 18 years of your life and I consider having kids to be one of the most serious responsibilities one can get into.

If you choose to have kids, you will have to dedicate 18 years of your life for that. Do you really want to? I feel that some people have kids because other people do, or they have kids for some selfish reason without considering children as individuals or the responsibility involved (cost, time, effort, nerves!).

It’s also usual for people to be seduced by the “normal” way of life and thus follow the popular trend of getting a mortgage, getting a car, getting married, etc.

And all those things might be good for you, but what I see is that many people don’t even think whether it’s good for them but commit this way because they see other people committing in this manner.

This is what I call a life of a person who is still asleep. They just do as others do, without thinking about why. They are still as though “boxed”, living common lives without knowing who they really are.

It’s good for governments and profit-oriented organizations to get you into loans and all sorts of bills because they are kept in business this way. But is it really good for you just because your neighbors are in such debts and pay such bills?

Each of us are individuals and we should be never forced to live common lives of the masses. It’s vital to get in touch with your inner energy field by staying alone as this will guide you about what you should do in life.

Maybe your life is also supposed to be free of responsibilities; and maybe after some years of free life, you will feel urged to commit to something. I’m in no way encouraging to escape responsibilities that are already created, but I do hope you will think long and hard before getting into anything new.

It’s important to understand what motivates you to take up some responsibility. Is it a societal pressure, or something coming from deep within? Is it media propaganda, or your own wishes urging you to get committed to something?

So before leaping into any new responsibility, take a long time to think it over. Assess all the pros and cons and long-term effects. Think of all possible exit doors should you wish to no longer have it.

Only then you stand a chance of making a much better choice than people who take up responsibilities just because their neighbors do.