Barbed

I was feeling a bit barbed earlier on today. Nothing major at all just the minor niggler is still niggling me. It's funny, in my youth I would have just told this person to go and fuck themselves. Now ,in my golden years I sit and think " What can I learn from that ? ". Incase you think I am still being so trite and sanctimonious that I need a slap, don't worry I still want to tell that person where to go I just don't do it anymore, I let it go and hope they see things for themselves. As I say it's nothing major . The day is otherwise grand, tri training and exam prep going brilliantly and I realise that I am self sufficient , I just ponder about people being so self absorbed and unsupportive and wonder what makes them tick.

It got me thinking about altruism. I have such lovely lovely friends and most of them get the concept of Pay it Forward.After all why would you not want to help someone else ? It's an interesting one is altruism as we all know it's a wonderful thing to do and altruism's concept is, on the surface, the polar opposite of selfishness. We put others first and demonstrate kindness because we can. However altruism gives us a buzz aswell so is it really as selfless as we think?

This TED TALK postulates how money can buy happiness, not in the traditional way but because it feels
nice to buy things for other people. Give it a whirl, it's got science and graphs and things in it so it must be true. ...

I don't believe altruism is the only guidance in this life, that's not practicable, for example there are times when in order to survive we have to look after ourselves and for happiness we have to love ourselves first. Nonetheless these issues are not mutually exclusive to sharing. Why not share your happiness, your strength, your love? Why not reach in your pocket and do something for someone else ?

As that Buddha fella ( I think he was the bloke that won spiritual X factor a few thousand years ago) once said "Thousands of candles can be lit from one candle without diminishing it's life. Happiness
never decreases by being shared".

I am not sure what I think about altruism on a deep conceptual level and it may be that the motives are more complex than we think but if the net result is that someone else is happy does any of thismatter?

Go on, make someone else smile today

xxx