My Norm

I attempt to be a “good person”, but I recognize I’m about 99% selfish (with about 1% of regret/condolence). Notwithstanding any religious implications and responsibilities, I wonder how would my choices differ if I were not the center of my universe, but instead actively considered others first. And by active consideration, I don’t mean my public actions reflect or sometimes benefit others who I deeply care about, but what if my natural, automatic, reflex action was compassion for others?

I mentally review some of my current activities, and think of blood donation. I donate blood about 5-6 times annually without any monetary compensation. However, I am often awarded with cool t-shirts, and expressions of appreciation from the facility. What is my true motivation? I’m not an exceptionally caring person; I would be hard-pressed to find someone who would describe me as “nice” or “sweet”. Yet, often what people assume are actions of a nice individual are merely snippets of an act being performed for the benefit of a judgmental audience. I don’t want my actions to be an offering approval from others, but rather a reflection of a true focus shift.

It is recognized that the first step to changing one’s circumstance is to recognize the circumstance. So here I go…