Enjoy my writing and art? Want to see more? Support my work on Patreon or donate with PayPal.
Image: Public Domain, Pixabay
I had already planned to write about this today, and it’s interesting that someone brought the idea up in a comment on one of my earlier pieces today. For me, this is another one of those concepts that I find difficult to express accurately. While I believe in these ideas to a certain extent, I think that they’ve been taken too far and are actually becoming a serious problem in society.
We should respect each other’s right to live the life we want to live and be who we truly are. Not everyone is going to live their lives the way we’d live ours, but that doesn’t always mean they’re doing anything wrong. Sometimes we need to “live and let live” so long as the person is doing their best and not hurting themselves or others. “You do you” is fine when we disagree with someone or their lifestyle, but they’re not causing harm. It’s good to accept that people are different, and allow them to be themselves while you do your own thing.
The problem arises when people become all about themselves. Sometimes it’s taken to the point of narcissism, often it’s displayed in a general form of apathy or masked as self-preservation. I believe that we should all try to be our best every day, and that we should encourage others to do the same. We should all be trying to uplift others to be their own personal best. Loving and respecting each other is incredibly important. It helps no one when we live lives where we only care about ourselves and what we’re doing, with disregard to everyone else.
Too many people see the wrongs of the world and do nothing. They’re doing their own thing and letting others do theirs, even when it is obviously detrimental to that person or to the world in general. If you see others struggling with issues, doing things that are bad for them or society, and you do nothing, you’re becoming part of the problem. It’s neither loving nor respectful to allow harmful behavior to continue when you could do something about it.
Too many people say that we shouldn’t address the issues we see or try to change the world. “Live and let live” they say. But that’s part of how the world got so messed up in the first place. People focusing on themselves and not trying to do anything about helping others or changing the wrongs of the world. Turning a blind eye serves no one. And worse yet is the fact that many of the people thinking they’re so kind with their “I’ll do my thing, you do yours” mentality are actually doing nothing to better even their own lives. They are part of the problem of apathy and selfishness in the world.
It’s not easy and it’s a path of great resistance, but I’m going to keep shining a light on the things I believe need to be changed. I’m going to keep giving people the tools to better themselves and live good lives. I’m going to keep trying to make the world a better place. I respect people, I want them to live their own lives, but I also want them to live the best possible lives and for all of us to live in a better world. The world needs more people willing to stand up and do something. We need more people willing to help, support and uplift others. I’m going to keep being one of those people.
