Self-Less

So I've got a Mountain Dew in hand, my pj's on, and I can smell a pizza cooking in the oven. Sounds like perfect conditions for some quality time with the blog. Ah, that sounds like some sort of hybrid between blob and bog, or perhaps blob and log. First one makes more sense. A blog sounds like something I keep in the middle of the woods outside my shack and tend to on a regular basis. I'm sure my blog wouldn't mean any harm. It's probably just curious. Ah, but I digress.

It always seems so interesting tracking my thoughts. Much of my mental capacity has been invested in thinking about being selfless. And I'm not talking about the selflessness that a lot of people think of, freely giving of yourself and your resources, though I'm sure that's a topic to cover at some point. I'll put it on my list of things to do, right next to explaining the cosmos and improving upon some of Einstein's theories. Though, I did see an article about an autistic kid doing the latter. Well good show kid, guess I'll have to take that one off the list.

The Self-Less concept I'm thinking about is the idea of not considering yourself in the equation. But Jesse, you say, that is part of the definition of selfless. And I quote, "having little or no concern for oneself, especially with regard to fame, position, money, etc.; unselfish." Well I'm talking about the step past the definition. This step isn't about fame, position, money, anything like that. This about completely ignoring the things about yourself, your quirks, your mistakes, your pains, your weaknesses, your strengths, I'm talking the whole shebang here gang (ha that rhymed). Things like dignity, self-worth, these values we make up for ourselves based on social construct. What's the point? Status? Hardly worth it in the long run.


I guess I could circle around with abstract thoughts all day, but what do I mean in the practical sense? Well here's an example. You're changing a garbage can. Some people had thrown cans in there that could easily have been taken in to recycle. A man with a bunch of plastic bags approaches you and asks if he could dig through the bag and retrieve the cans before the bag goes to the dump. You let him, I mean why not? Might as well let someone capitalize on an opportunity you weren't planning on taking. The man insists to you that he does this all the time and doesn't mind the garbage all up in his hands and whatnot. He just sees an opportunity and takes it, disregarding how it looks to people (he did get some amusing looks from people). After successfully retrieving the cans, and taking some garbage liquid on his clothes, the man thanks you and moves on to other garbage cans to rummage through. Now, how do you feel about the situation? Did you yourself give him an amused look? Did you feel disgusted? Pity?


Did you reflect on your own drive to achieve goals? The man was looking for some extra cash. He was willing to "disgrace" himself by social protocol to achieve that goal. How often do we see a chance to seize an opportunity but look around and say, "Well someone might see me," or, "Someone might judge me for it." It's sad to say, but so often do I find myself stopping to consider what people will think if I do something I feel called to do. I'm getting better at not worrying about the opinions of others, but I still struggle as I'm sure most everyone else does too. How far are you willing to go? In the sense of faith, God calls us to embrace His will and do everything possible to achieve it, not embrace the restrictions of the worldly. And that is not to say there won't be consequences. God knows that, and calls us to accept the consequences of the actions we perform to achieve His will. And if we do so faithfully, we will be rewarded when we're in heaven. So that means judgmental looks should have no weight on our lives. It means forgetting the idea of "self". It means becoming Self-Less.


So, heavy stuff dawgs. I may have become distracted by pizza, "Super Chill" Pandora station being ridiculous, and my Mountain Dew running out so some of that may have become nonsensical for a while. Read for the inspiration, not the direct word usage :) Peace