We are bombarded by so many images, quick fixes, courses, social celebs, and distractions. Everyone wants to be better, have better, and do better. We all want to excel in our arenas. I don’t know about you, but I am concerned for our society. I am concerned that we strive for the American dream (bigger houses and nicer cars). We are amazed by people who have hundreds of thousands of followers (many of them purchased their accounts and others hustled really hard).
I am concerned because we may be missing the point. The point isn’t the abundance of things and social influence as many of us are pressured into the anxiety of. I live in Philadelphia and this city has so many abandoned properties that they have created a land bank to sell off land and vacant property for $1. While at lunch with a neighbor she stated, “Philadelphia has more abandoned properties than there are homeless in the city”. I was amazed by our lack of awareness of each other. We are so concerned with our own pursuit that we have forgotten about each other.
In the midst of all of our hustle and bustle let’s remember about the people who have nothing and that our pursuits aren’t the only matters of life. When we make our relationships better we actively engage in considering others above ourselves. In the last few months I have been intentionally stepping back to evaluate my pursuit of influence and success. I am discovering the hard truth that the American dream isn’t a dream, but an obsession. When you see people like Bill Gates venturing to give away all of his money before he leaves the earth, you begin to realize that life is about more than our personal gain. What truly matters in life is the value of our relationships.
Would your life be better if you had more money or a better job? Possibly. I’m sure that spending more quality time with your children, family, friends, co-workers, and community would lead a greater return than more money in your bank account. I personally would appreciate more, but not for my personal gain. I’d like to do more good in the world and help others that don’t have the opportunities the American dream affords.
When we think of our lives, circumstances, and relationships, we have to start thinking with a new perspective. I believe that perspective can be greatly changed when we consider that there is more to life and all of us can do more good.
The young men and women we surveyed are, as a rule, not focusing as much on self as they are on how they can make a difference. This one insighthas enormous implications. They are the largest generation in America’s history, and they want to make a contribution. Compare this attitude with that of the Boomers, a huge generation only slightly smaller than the Millennials. The Boomers have been largely self-absorbed and narcissistic. Imagine the change our nation could experience if the dominant attitude in America shifts from entitled to giving.
-Thomas Rainer. The Millennials
Let not our earthly pursuits ruin our relationships in the process. This generation is learning that creating a greater margin for family and doing good is the ultimate reward of life. What does it profit to gain all the influence, success, and financial freedom in the world if you lose the ones closest to you? We would stop being bad at relationships if we took the time to create more moments with the people who matter in our lives and enjoy what we already have on our way to getting more of what we want.
I believe that when we become obsessed with things, we begin treating people as things: resources to further our own gains, obstacles to our pursuits or wants, distractions from our being the center of attention, or ignored props in the background on the “stage of me.” And a me-centered life is a sadly detached life by definition.
I love this post, because that’s the reason I started this site. People have forgotten that others are important, and instead have put themselves first. We all need to keep pushing this message.