Indeed from any valid view, men do have a responsibility to life, in that we are an inseparable part of life. Life observably feels a responsibility to continue to live, thus do we, one of its parts, share in the responsibility.
This responsibility has potential limits and exemptions, which life does not make known in its routine placement in the consciousness of ordinary humans, any more than it makes known to them the possibility of their being conscious of themselves and of life in a manner that is not standard-from-the-factory. But both are quite real potentials for the few people born with the suspicion thereof, and with the gritty fascination therewith, to adamantly pursue them to their ends. Those who do so are those who finally understand for themselves individually, what is going on with this thing men call life.
By and large life, via many agencies, will succeed in making ordinary, sane and decent people feel a responsibility to life. This is manifested primarily by feeling a responsibility for the welfare of other human beings, (and secondarily for that of other forms of life, and for the planet itself).
It would be simple insanity and error to say that humans should not feel any responsibility for others, but verbal declarations are never the relevance in this investigation. Realization of reality is – and the reality is that which can only be discovered and felt by a few. Any feeling you have of responsibility for life is no more based on your personal understanding and decision making, than is your breathing. It is simply that you must feel responsibility the same as you must breathe. There is no judgmental comment to be made after that on either case.
Only those with severely constricted sight see good and evil, in the natural, inescapable workings of life. Life is neither good nor evil; right nor wrong; this nor that. Life simply is, and those who define it after that understand nothing. (But they are in the comfortable majority, and indeed, make up almost all of humanity – which must be the way life wants it, so…).
J.