There are many things I don't understand...

...the main thing I don't understand is how selfish the world has become.

As an example I had this conversation with a friend of mine who is a few years younger than me:

L: Well when you date someone, you take a vested interest in their happiness, more so than you would for a friend...

Me: Why?

L: Because you're dating them...

Me: No... why would you not take a vested interest in the happiness of your friends?

L: Because they're friends, not someone you're dating...

Me: Yes, but your friends were probably there first, and they'll be there after your partner. If my friends are happy, then we can all help each other and all be happier and enjoy each others company more. Not that I don't want to make a partner happy, I do, but I don't see why my friends don't also deserve my wanting to help them be happy too...

L: ...That's sad...

Me: That I think that way?!?!

L: No... that everybody else doesn't...

So... Why DOESN'T everyone think that way? People used to, didn't they? Love thy neighbour and all that? What happened?

Don't get me wrong, I know there will always be people who will try to take advantage, but you learn pretty quickly when it's not reciprocated and you can redirect your energy back to people who respond in kind.

When did the world become so.... self serving.. is that the right word? Was it always this way, and I just had rose coloured glasses on?

It seems to be everywhere though. Work, home, family, friends. A lot of people seem willing to take take take, but not so generous with the give give give.

It's a bit like everyone pushing and shoving each other to get to the front of the "we are successful" queue while grabbing and snatching as much as they can on the way, at the expense of everyone else. Don't they realise that there's enough to go around for everyone if we all just shared and only took what we needed or actually really wanted rather than going for anything we could lay our hands on?

People don't seem to want to earn things anymore - it takes too long and it's hard work - so they'll just take it any way they can. Has our society become so greedy that even people have become disposable as soon as we feel they've outlived their usefulness?

For a while I thought it was a younger generation thing, but then I saw it more and more in people far older than me too. Is that what they've been teaching their children?

How do people sleep at night? How do they justify morally, spiritually or even financially deliberately disadvantaging a fellow human being for selfish pursuits? Do they not realise the damage they're doing to the people around them? What Karma must they be manifesting?

At the risk of sounding a bit like a hippy, where has the love gone? What happened to 'treat others as you would have them treat you'?

Well, for my part, I don't understand that mindset, nor do I wish to. I choose to continue to buck the trend - it's who I am and probably the thing about myself I like the most - that, despite every setback, I still choose to care.

I WILL continue to take a vested interest in the happiness of the people I care about - ALL of them. I WILL continue to treat others as I would wish them to treat me. I WILL continue to prioritise acting with morality and good conscience over the pursuit for personal gain. I WILL continue to try and love my neighbour. I WILL continue to try to make the world a better, happier place... one person at a time...

Will you?