It was a regular, everyday evening back in 1991 when my Dad ate a bite of steak off of my then-eight-year-old sister's plate.
"You're too picky," he told her. "That's good steak you're pushing to the side of your plate."
"No way, Dad," she said. "That piece was nothing but fat. I was chewin' it and chewin' it…"
We'll be telling that one for a while.
Welp, I'VE been chewing on something lately. 'Xcept this here is food for THOUGHT, my friends. The lean and hearty type.
I 'been chewin' it and chewin' it.
Remember when I said that the Oprah incident (specifically whether I had ACTUALLY wanted to be on the show to help other people) wasn't sitting well with me?
[Psst. This will be the last time I bring up the Oprah thing. Promise. Maybe.]
The reason it wasn't sitting well was because I recognized an element of selfishness in it. I, too, could stand to benefit from being on Oprah. My blog could explode in popularity and I'd gain an inflated sense of self-worth because I'd imagine I was helping hoards upon hoards of people.
So then was I really doing it to help OTHER people? Or to help ME?
And is the craving for significance a bad thing?
What IS the relationship of service and selfishness? With any act of service, the "doer" stands to gain a sense of significance (among other things), yes?
Sooooooo…does that mean that all acts of service are selfish?
Lady Gaga threw me an assist for my recent epiphany on this topic.
Check out the video for the low-down; hopefully it'll give you something to chew on.
[In a hurry? Then start watching at the 7:05 mark. (Maybe I should do away with my "must film in one take" rule. "T-t-t-TODAY, JUNIOR!!")]
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Do you know anybody who might enjoy this video? They (and I) thank you for passing it along!