Which, then, is "better"? Doing something for yourself so that later you can do small "good" things, or spending yourself in one tremendous "best" that prevents you from doing more good?
Are the small things really as important as the big things?
Small things can be as important as any big thing. It depends on intent, goal, and what you end up doing as a result.
What is "better" is all a value judgment, a completely personal, subjective assessment. What I think is good for some or many, the other half of the some may see as harm because they look at it from a perspective different than my own. For that matter, it's entirely possible that the many I think I am helping might see my action as a harm, too.
Still, a life led in the pursuit of one's own happiness or another person's happiness? Focussing on being happy in ways that do not harm others... that can make the world a brighter place, and is not always small in effect.
An excellent expression of our little tightrope here. Or spiderweb... or whatever-it-is.... Yes, exactly. Hard to explain. But I like the way you put it.
The truly important things in life can't be explained, of course, not easily, not well, and sometimes not at all. We discuss them in vain attempts to understand them, and perhaps someday, we will be able to truly grok what it means to be alive. For now, this is my little contribution to the fumbling attempt that is the human endeavor.
... or I could stop being an arrogant, pretentious prig and say, "Thank you. I'm always a little thrilled when I write something you like."
Sorry I'm a bit slow on the uptake with this one (having waited 4 days to respond), but I have a question for my own pure selfish desire for understanding.
I'm trying to apply this to my career path as a social worker and as I see it, I'm in a "better" category. I do what I do for myself, for my own emotional satisfaction; it's just quite handy that, to accomplish that satisfaction, I have to help others achieve personal satisfaction. I know there's countless other factors playing into it, but based on that basic description, do you think I would be professionally "better"?
I do indeed think you are in a position to call your chosen field an act of "betterment." ;) Yes, you stand to gain something for yourself by giving of yourself unto others in your community. Their lives are improved by the effort and care that you can offer, the wisdom and insight that you can provide, and the gateway you can open that will bring them in touch with social services and programs designed in theory to help them and in execution to be a labrynthine tangle that makes civil law look like a kid's game
( ... )
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Are the small things really as important as the big things?
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What is "better" is all a value judgment, a completely personal, subjective assessment. What I think is good for some or many, the other half of the some may see as harm because they look at it from a perspective different than my own. For that matter, it's entirely possible that the many I think I am helping might see my action as a harm, too.
Still, a life led in the pursuit of one's own happiness or another person's happiness? Focussing on being happy in ways that do not harm others... that can make the world a brighter place, and is not always small in effect.
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... or I could stop being an arrogant, pretentious prig and say, "Thank you. I'm always a little thrilled when I write something you like."
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(smile) I am god. Thou art god. All that groks is god.
(gets a quiet little thrill from one particular word in what you said)
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I'm trying to apply this to my career path as a social worker and as I see it, I'm in a "better" category. I do what I do for myself, for my own emotional satisfaction; it's just quite handy that, to accomplish that satisfaction, I have to help others achieve personal satisfaction. I know there's countless other factors playing into it, but based on that basic description, do you think I would be professionally "better"?
What's an example of "best"?
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