Then as you get
older you realize that the point of your analysis was not truly to find out if
you would be better or not, but to simply see that the outcome you would be
looking for would be of benefit to YOU.
And sometimes those outcomes MIGHT be beneficial, but at what
cost to others? We were more often not
trained (or taught) to consider those possibilities before we made our final
decisions. It was all about US! That selfish ME, ME, ME attitude!
Simple put, we
were taught (or trained) to look after ourselves FIRST! That lacking consideration for others;
concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure is exactly what
being selfish means. Stop and think for
a moment. Even today, we do so many
things for selfish reasons. And often it
doesn’t simply apply to our individual self.
We do this same type of evaluation for our families, our communities,
our cities or towns, our states, even our countries. The entire efforts we put into most matters
is simply because we want to get something for ourselves, and we often do not
consider the needs of others or how our actions are going to affect them!
This
self-consideration starts when we are small babies. Consider a baby: it will cry when hungry, cry
when a diaper needs changing, and it will cry whenever it wants the attention
of its mother. It’s all about the
baby! We understand that. A baby is basically helpless. Until they reach a certain age in life, they
cannot do things for themselves. They
only know that THEY want something and that crying is the only
way they are going to get it! The sad
thing for some babies is that as they grow up, they still consider that all
things are about them! And they want
what they want, when they want it, and it doesn’t matter about the time, energy,
or concerns of anyone else!
This reminds me of
a story that I heard about a young boy who had attended a party at the home of one
of his friends. When it came time for
him to leave, the story goes like this:
His friend’s
mother approached him and said: “Johnny,
why don’t you have one more cookie before you leave?” Little Johnny replied: “I can’t Mrs. Jones, I’m already full.” Mrs. Jones then told him, “Why don’t you put
one in your pocket to take home and enjoy it later.” Little Johnny then said: “I can’t do that
either. My pockets are also full!”
It’s a simple
story, but I think it makes the point!
For most of our lives we are only thinking about ourselves. This mental attitude makes it hard for us to
have successful lives, successful families, and so on. When we only think about ourselves and what WE
are going to get, it tends to isolate us from others because they don’t want to
be around such a selfish person! They
don’t want to be around US!
Could it be that
we would be much happier if we followed the simple lesson, we probably learned
in one of our Sunday School lessons: “There is more happiness in giving than in
receiving!” Wouldn’t it make our lives
and the lives of those around us better to have that type of attitude instead
of a selfish one?
If you are a Star
Trek fan (like I am and have been for many years), you will remember that in
one particular scene from “The Wrath of Khan” (released in 1982), Spock says, “Logic
clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Captain Kirk answers, “Or the one.” This line sets up various additional scenes
in this movie as well as several to follow.
You might find interesting the discussion of this statement by Ari
Armstrong concerning Spock’s ILLOGIC! (https://theobjectivestandard.com/2013/09/spocks-illogic-the-needs-of-the-many-outweigh-the-needs-of-the-few/
)
The basis of this
post is to get us thinking that when things come down to the basic truth, we
are a selfish bunch of piles of flesh! The
bottom line is: we’re only human!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
THOUGHTFUL GEM
"If you don't think of others,
how will others think of you?"
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