The best way of fulfilling your own interest is to take care of others. – Dalai Lama
What does that mean?
I suppose this quote depends on how you define your own interests. Yes, there are things in which you are interested, and things you think you want, but what is in your actual best interest?
If you can see past the dollar signs and deep into yourself, you probably see something a little different. Building your best possible self rarely relies on cash or power.
In my experience, what that part of us typically needs is to help others, to connect with others, to be useful and relevant to others. And, for those of you who have done it, it really is a great feeling.
Doing for others feeds a deep portion of what makes us good people. It isn’t something immediate, like hunger or thirst. But without it, we will die inside, just as without food or water we will die on the outside.
Those who are only focused on the things outside themselves may not recognize this truth, but few people on their death-bead wish they’d spent more time at the office. That might be something to think about.
Why is caring for others important? Continue reading