There are outcomes we fear and try to avoid.

There are outcomes we aim for and choose to act on. Whenever such a choice has been made, the consequences of our choice may seem to be obligations. As long as we can keep the link with our choice, they remain a choice independently from the discomfort they may bring.

Whenever these outcomes seem to hint at a catastrophe, obligations start to appear. They become an obligation when we submit to that sense of obligation. That is when we do it despite our desires and can’t see any other option.

We may dislike the consequences of our choices. And if we do, it might happen that the link with our choice gets lost. It happens, for example, when we assume that we have no stake in the consequences and are not responsible for them. However, as the consequences still may require us to act, they’ll then appear to us as an obligation. The sense of obligation may be reinforced if we imagine ourselves to have been made responsible or have become responsible for all of the consequences.

And yes, some choices have been enforced on us. But that belongs to being a human being and having been given unique gifts and challenges.