Responsibility is a cornerstone of civilization. If reliability is not built into the people we interact with, life becomes an irritating and boring slog, as we forever try to verify that things aren’t going wrong.

And so, acts of responsibility and reliability, like the one illustrated here, are far, far more essential than people may realize. Without trustworthy individuals there can be no civilization.

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Before returning to the mundane, make a list of responsible people you know: people who act responsibly for internal reasons. Then resolve to laud their virtues. (But without using their names, so that envy can’t attach.) People need to see that responsibility exists and is praised.