While watching the movie Ghost Town with my family, I saw this quote on a poster in the office of the main character. It is from Albert Einstein (one of my personal idols) and speaks to thoughts I have had of late. Given that we have just passed through the (Judeo-Christian) holiday season, it comes to mind the importance of living your life not for yourself, but for others.
With the world in a financial mess pretty much due to personal and corporate greed and unwavering belief that capitalism is the answer to everything, I have to stop and take a moment to shake my head. I do this, as my wife says, as a sign of contempt. We found out that rolling one's eyes is a sign of contempt, and the more a couple rolls their eyes at each other, the liklier they are to divorce. So Denise says I do not roll my eyes, rather shake my head in the same sort of gesture. In this case I am showing my contempt for those who got the world into the mess we are in by focusing on themselves, rather than others.
As is the focus of this blog, it is a case of not listening to the wisdom of people like Einstein. He in turn was simply restating the age old wisdom of spiritual leaders like Jesus and the Buddha. It might not be patently clear, but humans do not exist for themselves. We have survived and triumphed in the world because we have learned to put aside our own needs and focus on the needs of others before our own. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (the French Enlightenment philosopher) called this the social contract. Pretty simple--giving up your indivdual rights for the greater good. That is what it is all about.
As I told my wife, I hope no one ever tries to accuse us of not giving of our time, talent and/or treasure. We are in fact probably over generous. It may not be in the way, shape, form or time that people want, but it is in the spirit of what Einstein stated. To me that is the most important thing. That you live with a focus outward towards others, rather than inward towards oneself.
If you get a chance check out Ghost Town. It is a cute movie with a good message, and has some good laughs to boot.
