It comes as no surprise that the world is changing rapidly. Some changes for the better... others for the worse. We have become more inclusive as a nation and more open to new ideas. However, along with that, we have begun to view our own, individual ideas as fact instead of opinion. Slowly we are letting go of our empathy in the face of pride.
Somewhere along our journey, we have forgotten how to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. The fact of the matter is that we are all wrong. I am wrong and so are you. Collectively there is no single right answer to any problem and the sooner we come together and realize that, the sooner we will be able to move forward. I think we can all agree that none of us are perfect, but rarely do our actions reflect that. Day by day we run headfirst through life with blinders on. All we are able to see is our limited perception of reality, but that is all it is. Perception. Who ever said that life only consisted of one pathway? Every person has a different set of past experiences and set of morals than drive what they do. We make decisions based off of these things. So how can we, with our limited knowledge, really determine what we would do in a situation that we have never been faced with?
This inability to see things from another point of view is a result of egotism... and it is killing us from the inside out. Egotism by definition is excessively thinking about oneself because of an undue sense of self-importance. Sound familiar? Our generation may be referred to as millennials but me-llennials is probably a more accurate depiction. Now I am in no way saying that this way of thinking is confined to the area of young adults, but I am saying that it is in our power to change it. We are the future. That is the beauty of choice. It is in our power to choose a different path.
Change doesn't come overnight and it doesn't come from one specific action. It comes by changing the way in which we think. Sometimes that means taking a few steps back. Back to a time when your parents said "life's not fair" or the good ole "everything is not all about you." That is a world we haven't been a part of in a very long time. We asked for freedom and we got it. Now we are able to see that a world that revolves around "me" isn't near as great as it once sounded. Instead, we've trapped ourselves trying to fight fire with fire. Trying to be heard when we should be listening.
The thing is, none of us are ever going to have all the answers. We are on a journey. We take steps every day to try and be a little less wrong than we were the day before. A little less wrong, but never fully right. It is time to view our lives through that lens. A humbling lens that puts you in a position to listen more than you speak. Take time to be still. To view the world through eyes other than your own. Only when we realize the world is so much bigger than ourselves will we reach our full potential. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. So swallow that pride. Look at the stranger beside you and tell yourself that their needs are more important than your own until you finally believe it. Give more. Appreciate more. Love more. Why?
Because the death of "me" is going to give life to "us".
