By: celticpaladin

celticpaladin — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 13:56:49 +0000

Wow. Everyone needs somebody that can tell them the things that they either don't know or won't admit. And luckily enough, God has a tendency to bring these people around and put them into good positions to speak if we're willing to hear. You came, you saw, you moved furniture, you heard what you needed to hear, next is accepting and moving on.

We are all the protagonists of our own stories, so sometimes it's hard to step back and see just what Jungian archtype we fit in someone else's story, but if you can, that's actually kinda fun, too. And just so you know, the tragic flaw of focusing too much on others? It could be a lot worse. Cocaine addiction, for instance.

I would be willing to bet that Mother Theresa hurt someone's feelings. Probably someone that didn't want to hear what they needed to hear. And that never ever happened to Christ in the Gospels, he never hurt anybody's feelings. Hmmmmn.

Here's the thing: the most basic need for the book is first for the town, and then for the people. And since it's for all of the people, you can't just focus on one. So whenever you're analyzing one profile, don't worry overmuch about what they want said about themselves as much as what the other folks would want to read about them. Or maybe you've already got that taken care of; I don't know. The point is, you can make that book great, and you will.

Tell Kyle that I forgive him for not being manly and butch enough to muscle all of you stuff in and get you two to Movie Night on time. [malicious grin] Apparently, your time was needed for something else more, understandable. You did, however, miss out on The Man Who Knew Too Little, and Groundhogs Day. Bill Murray Night. TMWKTL is a great movie, funny, cute in a way that I can say and still feel masculine, and all around greatly entertaining. I have never met someone that hasn't loved it. So tsk, tsk, to you two. Not. Anyway, next time is in two weeks, with a new actor. I think we'll try to mimic last time and have several options for people to vote on, we just won't do as many options as alphabet night. There's democracy, and then there's anarchy. I don't know how those girls do it.

Also: I work twelve hours each Saturday. If each day was Saturday... I would give myself about a week and a half before my first psychotic break, in which much violence would probably ensue towards the first person that gets annoyed for having to sit in the back after arriving late.

Whenever you read this, I hope you just enjoyed a good meal.

By: propheceye

propheceye — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 11:42:24 +0000

I don't think the question about whether you are too selfish or not is relevant. All human beings are completely self-serving. If they are not, then they are just being self-destructive in the worst way. Your dilemma lies in finding the correct balance between helping yourself directly and helping yourself indirectly (by helping others). If you accept that you are always self-serving in one form or another, then your fear of possibly being too selfish becomes irrational and can be easily overcome.

Getting past your fear would in turn allow you to see the problem for what it really is: a resource and order of operations optimization problem. You have a finite amount of resources (time, money, whatever) and an optimal order and amount by which to apply these to yourself and to others to achieve the greatest amount of good.

The illustration of the oxygen masks on airplanes is a perfect example of why both a good distribution of resources (oxygen) in the proper order (parent then child) brings about the best amount of good for everyone involved. At first it seems selfish and wrong but upon thinking about it, doesn't it seem silly to go any other way?

In short, there is no reason to worry about being too selfish because you already are and always have been. Just worry about the problems at hand and the best way to solve them. In the end, that’s all you can really do.

Comments on: “Everyday is Saturday for us!”

By: celticpaladin

By: propheceye