Taken from my everyday journal:
"I've always been critical of my own motives for my actions, choosing to live carefully by my own moral compass. I want to know why I do things. Usually I try to leave the motives of others to the four directions. Who am I to guess at the motives of others? I could form opinions about the inner workings of others until the end of time, but that wouldn't make them true." ~Mg
Generally I think this is a positive thing about me. I mean, sometimes I get carried away and worry needlessly, or put too much energy into a situation because I'm still unclear about My Why, but overall I think it serves me well. I don't feel like a bad person; if I've made a mistake I don't feel a need to internalize it, I can learn from it without guilt about my motives. This is not to say I've stumbled upon a way of life that lets me do whatever I like with no guilt. Quite the contrary. I see myself through the guilt before I take an act, and use that to measure the action before I take it. (Though sometimes one cannot help a twinge of guilt for the feelings of others--even when feeling justified in an act.) More on this later.
Generally I think this is a positive thing about me. I mean, sometimes I get carried away and worry needlessly, or put too much energy into a situation because I'm still unclear about My Why, but overall I think it serves me well. I don't feel like a bad person; if I've made a mistake I don't feel a need to internalize it, I can learn from it without guilt about my motives. This is not to say I've stumbled upon a way of life that lets me do whatever I like with no guilt. Quite the contrary. I see myself through the guilt before I take an act, and use that to measure the action before I take it. (Though sometimes one cannot help a twinge of guilt for the feelings of others--even when feeling justified in an act.) More on this later.