Kicking (my) selfishness to the curb

Us humans are selfish creatures, of which I am the foremost. We put ourselves first and then others. It makes sense though. Right? Look out for yourself. Take care of yourself. Me first and then maybe I'll have time to care for others. When we actually do want to care for others, we only do so if it's convenient. Moreover, we seem to only do it when we feel that we will GET something out of it. We've engrained this idea of give and receive into our minds. But caring for someone, loving someone, doesn't mean they are obligated to reciprocate it. That would be ideal, but it's definitely not always the case.

It seems like I always read things that say stuff like "if they don't have time for me, then I don't have time for them" or "cut off the people in your life that aren't doing anything for you." I'm not so sure that we understand what these things mean, or what they truly say about ourselves. Yes, get out of unhealthy and abusive relationships. But don't jump ship when things get difficult. Don't give up on people just because they don't meet your expectations or the arbitrary standards you've made up for them.

Last night, I watched a movie that I think could deter anyone from being a liar. In the movie, the guy's lies catch up to him and ultimately destroy the life he knew. I think a lot of us are relatively honest with others, especially when it is convenient and beneficial to ourselves. What's scary is that I think a lot of us aren't truly honest with ourselves. We try to be "strong people" by telling ourselves that we don't need each other. That's a lie. We need each other. Life can't be sustained by oneself. No one is self sufficient. Instead of pushing people away when things get tough (something we ALL do), we have to work through the dirt and the grime. Relationships are clearly more valuable and meaningful to us when we do that. Value and effort are beautifully intertwined. Like I've said repeatedly: "great things are costly." They cost time and energy.

I think it's possible that we are so caught up in ourselves (especially me) that we don't have an inkling about how much we mean to each other. What a paradox.

I vow to put every effort into the meaningful relationships in my life. I vow to not give up on the people I love even when things get difficult, even when they don't love me back. I vow to put every effort into putting others first. This especially includes understanding their situation and feelings, instead of primarily thinking about my own. I will falter at times, but I will fight for the ones I love.