It takes a lot to be altruistic – to look past your selfish interests into a world filled with pain, suffering, and confusion wanting to alleviate some of the misbehaves in your sphere, but then you are confronted with the question of people wanting change–genuine change and not bandages to their pain.
I stumbled upon a tweet by a fellow community member recently who like me is trying to improve the whole social experience on hive. I could sense the frustration in his tweet and it resonated with me because I have been dealing with the same issue--people not wanting the help they need orI think they need.
There are very few people willing to grow anything asides from their accounts. Even when it comes to relationships, it is just a means to an end–earning more upvoting by stroking the egos of a few people with deep pockets. I guess this whole strategy is getting quite old for me and I do understand why people follow this route (I did at some point). I hope we all get past this stage in our hive journey, especially those of us who have been opportune to be blessed by this chain given our long-term involvement. We aren’t in survival mode anymore, and maybe it is time to see past our pockets.
To be frank, my optimism towards some of the projects I am working on has dwindled, mainly because I see past the facade many of us are putting up and maybe this is how it is supposed to be and there is little I can do about it. Maybe I just have a messiah complex and should just focus my energy on myself. Thinking about it, there is so much I can do that I am forgoing at this point. Maybe I am not taking my own advice of being patient and enjoying the process of the building which I know can be tedious at times.
Benevolence
I cannot deny the feeling of fulfilment I get when I do things that don’t benefit me directly (going back to the messiah complex). It is a wonderful feeling to make a difference in your little way and it is such a privilege to be able to give back without having to get anything in return. Plus I have basically everything I need in life and there isn’t any strong motive to want more. I just want to sustain what i can and give as much of myself to the world.
Maybe the world doesn’t need saving
Maybe the world doesn’t need me as much I think it does. I can redirect that energy to the things and people who matter in my life. Rather than trying to make the world a better place, maybe I should focus on being a better partner, uncle, brother, son, etc maybe I can focus on being a better version of myself.
Saving the world shouldn’t be soul-draining. If it doesn’t bring you as much joy as it should then maybe it is not for you. We all tend to believe our lives should matter on some grand scale but maybe we are just regular people trying to do the most.
I started this post a bit frustrated but now it is all smiles. As my fellow Nigerians would say, “I can’t kill myself,” Meaning that I cannot do more than is required or expected of me. We all need to manage our expectations.