Self-Centeredness Kept me Sick

As a recovering addict, one realization I had to come to terms with early on was that self-centeredness was at the core of my addiction.

Being ultimately concerned with ‘fixing myself.’ Taking care of my inexhaustible hunger for more, not realizing how my addictive behavior affected everyone around me. I became sick without realizing I was sick.

It wasn’t until I became aware of how my self-centeredness had made my relations with others sick. How I brought harm and turmoil to those, I came into contact with, especially those closest to me, that I became able to see just how sick I had gotten.

Once I began to be more concerned with how my actions, or lack of actions, were affecting others.

I started caring more about not making those around me suffer, more than I cared about my suffering. Then I became able to stop enabling my addictive behaviors.

It has been almost two decades since my last high, my last drunk, my last hangover. But I am being reminded daily of the devastation my self- centeredness once caused.

We are in a time of global change.

Just like the denial I had before becoming aware of the effects of my addiction, many of us seem to be in denial. Denying that we need to take the pandemic seriously enough to social distance, wear a mask in public, or stay at home. It is continuing to allow, what should be as a simple flu-like virus, to continue to spread un-necessarily.

I know of several people, some of which may be reading this, who are still in the mindset that our current state of concern is unfounded, that the whole need for social distance is not necessary for them. And they may very well be correct in thinking that they are healthy enough to avoid the worst-case scenario. But, this is a self-centered perspective.

My Hope for this situation we are in is that it will bring some awareness to the world.

I hope that each of us will begin to recognize our self-centeredness in every area of life, that we will start looking at how our actions do affect those around us. That even a simple interaction with someone at the supermarket can have an unknown lasting impact.

We, as a global human race, are all being affected by a simple virus. Whose impact on our existence is directly due to the self-centeredness of those of us. Who choose not to care enough about our fellow inhabitants.

Each of us should step out of our self-centeredness.

Gain an appreciation for our common welfare above the welfare of the individual. Those who give focus to giving and helping others are the ones who seem to hold the most joy in life.

Change begins with Hope. We attain Hope when we switch our focus from what we are powerless over to that which we have a choice. And we share that Hope when we choose to put our common welfare above individual welfare.

I’m staying at home, not because I fear to get sick.

I’m staying home because I don’t choose to be responsible for you getting sick. I am not responsible for you. But I am responsible for how my choices may affect you.

Please choose to take responsibility for your ability to respond. Stay home as much as you can, keep distance if not.

“Always aspire to inspire, before we expire.”PaulDavid Click To Tweet

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5 thoughts on “Self-Centeredness Kept me Sick”

  1. It took me many years to recognize that I was self-centered. I always thought if self-centered as egotistical and it came to me that my shyness, and lack of self esteem is the other side of the pendulum of being self centered. It is still self centered.

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