being selfless...

being humans it is only natural that we are selfish beings (for the most part)... at times when i think about how we are like crabs trying to get out a deep well... the famous story goes: there are many crabs stuck in a deep well... instead of helping each other out, each crab infact makes sure that no other crab climbs out of the well... too bad...

if only we listened with open ears to what our parents/dear ones tried to tell us during our formative years... if only we understood the terms compassion, teamwork, unity, etc... for starters, what can we really do? what could be a good first step toward understanding the concept of being selfless?

is being selfless being like Karna, who was foolish enough to succumb to the tricks of Lord Krishna (the story goes: In a famous Indian Epic, even Lord Krishna had to use treachery to overcome the evil and achieve greater good for the truth! In that process, the Lord deceives Karna, a noble soul who donates anything for the needy and ultimately ending up donating his own life-guard!)... is being selfless not acquiring any material wealth and donating 100% of one's earnings for the needy and the poor? is being selfless going out of the way not considering one's own needs to help out another person who is in dire need?

well, the simple answer is ofcourse 'it depends'... we can call ourselves selfless based on a few acts of basic goodness, but what really matters is when it really counts... when we are in that deep well, how we behave defines our character... when we try not to deceive even in the cause of greater goodness...

one of the most popular catch-phrases in recent television advertisements goes: there are some things money can't buy... for everything else, there is mastercard... the feeling we get when we see a needy person after we have helped them, is priceless...

these acts of moral goodness and selflessness can come from simple daily activities like yielding to pedestrians in parking lots, being courteous to customers/cashiers (works both ways), helping a friend in desperate need to the extent possible even if it costs us time and/or money...

thinking about it should make us all wonder... while doing so... keep this in mind:

Lyrics - Enigma

Thats not the beginning of the end
Thats the return to yourself
The return to innocence.
Love - devotion
Feeling - emotion.

Love - devotion
Feeling - emotion.
Dont be afraid to be weak
Dont be too proud to be strong
Just look into your heart my friend
That will be the return to yourself
The return to innocence.

If you want, then start to laugh
If you must, then start to cry
Be yourself dont hide
Just believe in destiny.
Dont care what people say
Just follow your own way
Dont give up and use the chance
To return to innocence.

Thats not the beginning of the end
Thats the return to yourself
The return to innocence.

Dont care what people say
Follow just your own way
Follow just your own way
Dont give up, dont give up
To return, to return to innocence.

If you want then laugh
If you must then cry
Be yourself dont hide
Just believe in destiny.