Recent styles of political debate in western democracies have highlighted questions about how we exercise personal freedom and who is responsible for how we live. At an individual level, we have seen lives destroyed by hate campaigns while a blame culture encourages us to scapegoat others for our misfortunes. Freedom and responsibility are themes that flow through scripture as well as public life and they are finely balanced. In our changing world, what do business, church and community leaders need to understand and embody? Peter Shaw draws on writers and thinkers from different eras in order to pose questions about what it means to act responsibly in a wide range of personal and public contexts. Chapters include: Freedom that liberatesResponsibility that deliversFreedom from and freedom toResponsibility as a joy and not a burdenFreedom and responsibility in the workplaceFreedom and responsibility as a citizenFreedom and responsibility in family and friendshipsFinding our equilibrium going forward
Peter Shaw is a partner in Praesta, an international executive coaching organisation that works with senior leaders in the public, private and voluntary sectors. He is a Visiting Professor at Newcastle and Chester Universities, teaches regularly at Regent College, Vancouver and is a lay Canon of Guildford Cathedral.