So if I am the most qualified to judge my life, and if my life is best defined as the moments I live, then I would say, in this moment, I am a mistake-prone human who takes life seriously and works hard to add Goodness to this moment believing that will more likely positively influence my next moment. My criteria for determining Goodness changes with each thought. Past moments are there as a reminder that I can do better. Future moments are there as an enticement to do better. This moment is here as a way to do Good. If I expend excessive effort on a narrative, and/or working to make others fit my narrative, I will lose myself. In my life, I have spent more moments lost than not.
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Outside an office, down the hall, hangs a framed inspirational shoutout that says, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” When I first took this in, my initial thought (because I tend to be more truthful than nice) was, “if I lived in that world.” Then considering the world this encouragement comes from, I am pondering what they may mean by “be kind.” I believe kind (especially in the workplace), has come to mean indulgent or not holding others accountable. And if we did live “in a world where you can be anything,” then perhaps one could be allowed more time to grow into their self and/or their responsibilities. But in the world we live in, I believe this indulgence will be, (already is?), a major player in the death of us.
So, to be kind can be indulgence, leniency or permissiveness which can (especially in the workplace) come from a desire to avoid confrontation. Or, to be kind can be benevolence, a desire to help others, and/or a desire to add Goodness all of which come from compassion and require considerable effort. Which all begs the question, can we unlearn our lazy desire for comfort in our make-believe world where one can be anything, to implement difficult change for Good? Or are we entrenched?
I believe before we can come to any semblance of a world in which one can be anything, we must first be kind; (i.e. benevolent, helping others, adding Goodness). That inspirational shoutout has it backwards.
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If I were to die in my very next moment, some might suggest that my life be defined by connecting more than 1.2 billion dots; and they would then take a few days capped by 20 minutes doing so. Perhaps better to take a moment to do Good.