...LIFE!

" Wait up! You dropped this. It loooks liiike...your LIFE. You need some help with it? Cause it looks like a mess! "

So, as I walk among my community, I see, greet & meet some of the kindest give-you-the-shirt-off-my-back type of people. They strive for kindness & perfection. I think to myself, '..these people just 'get it'-life.' The majority of these people are, well, seasoned & although there are some younger folks that fall into this category of 'helping your neighbor'...there should be more! My peers are go-getters who could (if applied) make the greatest positive change not only limited to this community but on a larger scale, as well. Sadly, (& I don't exclude myself) there seems to be something holding my peers back or getting in the way of the greatness they could achieve. Among us, I see a collection of broken promises, an addiction to beauty, a certain self-righteousness, the pursuit of success at any cost and the belief that we are OWED in this life for that we haven't ever worked for. This sight turns my stomach..then I remember...WE ARE ALL HUMAN. This is a battle between the soulful & soulless. Everyone has a soul & I'm not implying you, me or that guy is without a soul, so let me clarify. Soulless acts are committed by everyone. We're human after all & we should never forget that no, NOT ONE MAN IS RIGHTEOUS.
HOWEVER, just because no man is perfect nor better than the next..we seem to hold on to that particular idea of imperfection & use it to justify our 'bad deeds'..the result, doing whatever we want even if it is at the expense of someone else's feelings. Sort of like a crutch to get away with 'getting ahead'.

"Oh, I didn't realize you two were so serious. I'm sorry, I would have never undermined your relationship & made a huge mess of it just so I could get my hands on what I wanted at the moment."

"Oh, no! Did I do that? I didn't know that if I lied, it would only hurt your feelings. I thought if I told you the truth about it, it would SURELY hurt your feelings."

"Oh, my bad! I didn't know you told me [that] in confidence. I would have never told the boss-man had I known. And you would have never lost your job & I would've never accepted the position you lost."

I mean, reeeally? Come on. Most, if not ALL of us have been guilty of justifying our actions just like the above examples (possibly not as strait forward). I have, you have and that guy behind you has.
I was browsing facebookers in my local community (Tri-Cities, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Knoxville) & I happened upon a quote that went something a long the lines of this, "The road to hell is paved with selfishness justified as 'good intentions'. An old quote indeed that many scholars & non scholars alike have quoted. The facebooker put her own twist on it which was nice. God only knows if that girl believes her own post but I've gotta say..I DO & there's a lot of truth in that quote. There are many interpretations, as we ALL know, when it comes to the interpretation of sensitive material, such as the Holy Bible, Torah, & YES, even quotes of the past. I'll sum it up, as I understood it, with another quote that says the same thing:

"All it takes for a evil to prevail is a good person to do nothing."

Whatever way you wanna package it, wrap it, slap a pretty bow on it should you feel the urge.. but it means...if we do something selfish & justify it as a 'good intention'..("Oh, I wanted to help that sick person but I just had so much to do. I got busy.")..we just hurt others around us & this teaches our children some pretty bad habits. After all, our children watch us with a learning eye, want to grow up to be just like us & they hang on our every word.

From screening someones call to undermining someone to 'get ahead'..the little things to the big, ALL add to the negativity of any community. What if a friend is calling to tell you his dad died & he just wanted to talk for a minute...if you are in a meeting, it's completely understandable to not answer. What you can do, get this right...you can shoot the person a text saying you're busy & you'll get back with them later. Communication is KEY! And I don't care who you work for, texting is always a possibility. When busy, we may not be able to reply within 3 seconds flat but we CAN all reply and not ditch the ones in need. By communicating with that 'friend' you have sent the message that you care, in turn, creating happiness.
Happiness? Yeah, this is a positive emotion & it barely took any effort on your part to create this...this..happiness. Most of you are like, "Yeah, yeah, nothing new, Bella.. you're talking about a simple theory called, 'paying-it-forward'."
Yes, this is exactly what I'm talking about. One SIMPLE act of consideration is contagious & goes a long way.

Can't we be a little more considerate of others? Is this a possibility? Or am I just asking for WAAAY to much, here? I know this's an age-old request..but hopefully someone reading this will become more aware of the way they treat others & possibly, they'll be mindful of someone in their life. This someone they have showed kindness to, in turn, may just 'pay-it-forward'. We could all stand to practice this a little more often. We can strive for perfection & decrease the negativity around us by being considerate of others & helping those who need assistance. Do take note, 'striving' and 'achieving' are not the same...but 'striving for greatness & perfection' impacts others more than anyone really knows...

I don't know...just some food for thought. Tell me what you all think, feel, do, etc....