The snippet below is quoting an awesome article that refers to an awesome quote. It also echoes something I've really been thinking about lately, but they were far more eloquent and concise. Still, I want to lay the groundwork for some themes and ideas that will reappear. We cannot afford to bullshit ourselves, and yet we all do a terrific job of just that.
We are our own best friends. When it comes down to it, nobody has our interests and benefits in mind quite like how we look out for ourselves. Yet we do it so wrong. We lie to ourselves, and like parents who raise spoiled children, we do ourselves a disservice. We act in direct opposition to what we know is good for us, and justify it with a permissive mental wave of the hand. Some folks are self-destructive, some truly sell themselves that what they want is the right answer no matter what, some don't think at all but follow some whispering instinct that somehow turns into a compulsion. It's human to do so, but it's the human challenge to make the most of ourselves, so we can make the most of our lives. So we are also our own worst enemies, not as a choice but as a byproduct of our actions.
This is something all people do, regardless of age, period in history, culture or religion. It may be the one thing that truly ties all human beings together. Nobody is perfect all the time, but we are challenged to fight to be our best, not be content to wallow in our weakness. How many thousands, or even millions of things could we prevent simply by being good friends to ourselves and refusing to allow those lies to root and take hold?
The article is more lighthearted, but the implications just continue to more serious levels. I smiled, but then I realized that this root problem has major implications for the world, from simple friendships to wars and global relations.
Sometimes we shove problems aside because we don't have time to deal with them. We've all been there. Or we come up with a change—like buying bigger pants—that makes a problem like sneaky weight gain less uncomfortable, but as Mr. Money Mustache reminds us, this is really no cure.
A better solution, he suggests, is to actually stare your problems in the face and not mask them:
My solution is the opposite: put those damned tight pants on and keep wearing them. When they bite at you, it's a reminder to take the stairs instead of the elevator, eat a piece of grilled salmon instead of a chocolate bar and bologna sandwich, and to start walking and biking more. Those tight pants are your biggest ally in addressing the underlying problem – if you give them up, you'll be allowed to forget what the real problem is: your lifestyle has become unhealthy and you're doing everything with a dull saw!
From tight jeans to civil rights to wars, being truthful to ourselves and overcoming our obstacles is what makes us better people. Whether we try to be better or let ourselves drift and go along is what defines us.
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