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A radical idea

slobake

slobake

resident ... something
Aug 6, 2011
1,904
25,886
Somewhere to the left of "Whoopie"
smowles01.wordpress.com
#1
Been thinking about Donald Duck Dunn. The man had a huge influence on popular music but never was in the limelight like a lot of people he supported. He was in the background making other people sound good. I know here on TB a lot of us pay attention to his playing, but when I told some of my friends that I was sad because of his passing they said “Who?”
What if can find joy just being present and helping others? What if we were to live one day of our lives like we don’t have any rights? Willing to let go of our stuff and not living with a sense of entitlement. Not getting upset because so many others don’t live by the same rules that we do. How many of us have confronted others not because something affects us, but because of the “principle of the thing.” I know this is tough one for us Americans we know we have our rights. We even have the Bill of Rights. I’m not talking about letting someone harm your family or destroy your life but just letting go of “me.”
I don’t always do a very good job of this but I have decided to at least be aware of this for today. Hey who knows maybe it will make a difference.
 
#2
I'm not quite sure what you're getting at exactly (that point is a little unclear in your post), but I spend most of my life in the service of others - job and family. I squeeze in a couple of "me" moments during the course of a regular week, but I'm generally not at the top of my own priority list. It works out well, though. I enjoy making others happy.
 
#3
Youre talking about the breaking down of the ego, sounds like. Im all for it. Ive been trying to live my life this way for a while. A lot of people are always concerned with how any given situation is going to be of benefit to them, and less so about the benefit of others. Its not easy to always be so selfless, and I dont know that an entirely selfless life is really the best way to live either. Harmony being two opposite forces opposing each other, surely there is a balance in between.
 
#5
Pilgrim said:
Hey, most of life does NOT involve taking the first seat on the bus. Much of life is finding a seat farther back that's a good fit and comfortable.

I don't expect people to know the name of the bass player, the second-string QB, the middle relief pitcher or the IT guy who took care of Steve Jobs' computers.
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Yet all of those people have made valuable contributions to the efforts of the greater whole. Worthy of praise in their own right.
 
#8
EricF said:
I'm not quite sure what you're getting at exactly (that point is a little unclear in your post), but I spend most of my life in the service of others - job and family. I squeeze in a couple of "me" moments during the course of a regular week, but I'm generally not at the top of my own priority list. It works out well, though. I enjoy making others happy.
Click to expand...

Maybe I should go back to school again. :help: I would try and make it more clear but I would probably make it worse. But many thanks to Matticus for translating for me. :cool:
 
#9
Okay I'll try anyway. Have you ever met someone (not us of course but someone we know :D) that always has to have the best and gets insulted at the mere suggestion of anything less. Most of us are not to that extreme but there is some of it in all of us. We start out as infants thinking the world revolves around us and as we mature we get more and more selfless. Hopefully.
 
#11
slobake said:
We start out as infants thinking the world revolves around us and as we mature we get more and more selfless. Hopefully.
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Yes, hopefully, but not always. If this subject interests you I will suggest a book that goes into depth on the topic of Spiral Dynamics called 'A Theory of Everything' by Ken Wilber.
He, or someone he references, states that we begin life with an egocentric perspective of the world, basically for our own survival. As we grow and learn and escape ourselves we transition from egocentric memes to ethnocentric/sociocentric memes, with a concern focused more on those around us. As we develop further our perspective shifts from our localized region to the world at large, or what is dubbed a worldcentric perspective. Or to put it in other words, a truly selfless being.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Dynamics
Invalid Link Removed
 
#12
MatticusMania said:
Yes, hopefully, but not always. If this subject interests you I will suggest a book that goes into depth on the topic of Spiral Dynamics called 'A Theory of Everything' by Ken Wilber.
He, or someone he references, states that we begin life with an egocentric perspective of the world, basically for our own survival. As we grow and learn and escape ourselves we transition from egocentric memes to ethnocentric/sociocentric memes, with a concern focused more on those around us. As we develop further our perspective shifts from our localized region to the world at large, or what is dubbed a worldcentric perspective. Or to put it in other words, a truly selfless being.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiral_Dynamics
Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

Thanks Matticus I'll check it out.
 
#13
EricF said:
I'm not quite sure what you're getting at exactly (that point is a little unclear in your post), but I spend most of my life in the service of others - job and family. I squeeze in a couple of "me" moments during the course of a regular week, but I'm generally not at the top of my own priority list. It works out well, though. I enjoy making others happy.
Click to expand...
Part of the problem is I am a spiritual person. That is a huge part of who I am and I can't help but talk about those things. I appreaciate the fact that some people would get really stirred up about any talk about religion, this is not the place for it and it is also against the rules. So sometimes I struggle communicating spiritual ideas that some would take as religious without sounding religious. That's my excuse anyway and I'm sticking with it.
 
#14
Sometime I wonder if I don't have a shattered personality that is part Rodney Dangerfield and part Charlton Heston. I can be goofy and out of control and no one takes me seriously. Other times I am boring and pedantic and no one takes me seriously. It's all about balance, that and not taking myself too seriously. Still I appreaciate the acceptance I have gotten here on TB.
 
#16
armywalaby said:
obviously it hasn't sunk in yet, because you felt the need to advertise it. there's a lot of guys here on TB that are vets too, but they won't toot their own horn about it because it doesn't matter. that's what being selfless is about.
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Just because he takes pride in his service, doesn't mean he is any less selfless. You have Army in your screen name, what does that say about you. Every Vet I know has a LOT of pride in their service and displays it, especially the ones whom aren't in anymore. :D

MakiSupaStar said:
What the hell are you talking about? :eyebrow:
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I was wondering the same thing. Dropping our egos? Selfless actions? I think that's what we are talking about. :D
 
#20
slobake said:
Been thinking about Donald Duck Dunn. The man had a huge influence on popular music but never was in the limelight like a lot of people he supported. He was in the background making other people sound good. I know here on TB a lot of us pay attention to his playing, but when I told some of my friends that I was sad because of his passing they said “Who?”
What if can find joy just being present and helping others? What if we were to live one day of our lives like we don’t have any rights? Willing to let go of our stuff and not living with a sense of entitlement. Not getting upset because so many others don’t live by the same rules that we do. How many of us have confronted others not because something affects us, but because of the “principle of the thing.” I know this is tough one for us Americans we know we have our rights. We even have the Bill of Rights. I’m not talking about letting someone harm your family or destroy your life but just letting go of “me.”
I don’t always do a very good job of this but I have decided to at least be aware of this for today. Hey who knows maybe it will make a difference.
Click to expand...

You mean you think more people should be selfless, not selfish?

Good luck with that. "Intellectuals" have drilled it into peoples' heads that everyone deserves everything for far too long to allow this to happen anytime soon.

When I was a kid and would do some kind of chores around the house, my mom would ask "Why can't you be good for nothing?", basically teaching that it's not mandatory for payment to follow some kind of effort and that it's good to do the work without asking for anything. When kids get $20-$50/week in allowance, it shows that the parents are the children of people who learned this and they'll pay the kids whatever it takes to either shut them up or make it possible for them to go through life without having to work.
 

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