A culture of selfishness. Do you see it? Everything seems to be about “me, myself, and I” these days. We opt to “cut off” people who hold us accountable and label them as “toxic”. We isolate ourselves from people who mean us well. Driving has become an extreme sport. In the daytime, motorists drive at high speeds while overtaking long lines of traffic, putting others at risk. At nights, bright lights of the incoming traffic glare in people’s faces, causing temporary blindness.

In today’s culture, we have been all for ourselves and possible a small group of people we interact with just because they interact with us. Too often, we treat people like trash, and it is a shame. We look out only for our self-interests, not recognizing that we do not exist in a vacuum. However, we exist in a community of people with varied backgrounds, diverse gifts, and perspectives.

This eclectic mix among us in this world is what makes us all so beautiful, like interwoven, colourful fabric. Although we are all different, we all bleed the same. We all are important, and we must treat each other as such.

This perspective of selfish isolation is not healthy, nor is it accurate. Why do we generally and regularly complain of loneliness? Why does mankind have an innate need to belong? It is because we all need each other. An old quote says, “No man is island, no man stands alone.” It is true. People are present in our lives to help us navigate life’s rollercoaster ride and vice versa. Self-centeredness, on the other hand, will make us bitter, cold, miserable.

We need to celebrate each other in moments of prosperity. We need to support each other when the chips are down. We all need to take care of each other. We need hold each other accountable, serve each other sincerely and pray one for another. We need to forgive each other for “hate is too great a burden to bear.” (quote by Rev. Dr.  Martin Luther King, Jr.) We should always opt to use things, not people; and not the other way around.

The community we have is a gift which should be valued and treasured as if it was being presented in a gift bag. Self-centeredness will only take us so far and no more. Therefore, we need to look beyond ourselves. Add value to the spaces we are in. Let us not take each other for granted.

Love.

^{Photo by Ajala Kings (IG: @ajalakings)}