I have come to the not-by-any-means-original observation that there is no action I take — subtle or overt, from the deepest secret to the most blatent declaration and execution — that does not affect others around me. It affects them directly, it affects them in their reactions to me and their future dealings with me — even if the act is utterly private, it affects me, and so affects all those I come in contact with — family, friends, co-workers, etc. A series of consequential ripples,
more than can be predicted.
Nothing terribly profound there, perhaps. And there are things I must do at times regardless of their effects on others; sometimes I owe myself and my principles more than I owe consideration of their impact on those around me. But that doesn’t mean I have to take responsibility for the results, even those I don’t intend or cannot foresee. A decision can be right and still have unfortunate consequences, and I’m responsible for those even if it was the best decision I
could make. I can’t let that paralyze me, but I can’t simply shrug it off, either. That’s part of being a grown-up.
“No man is an island” applies in life as much as in death.
And that’s probably way too dark and complicated a thought to leave for the evening, but there it is.
Very true.
So, now the question needs to be asked, what brought this about?
And when did you perfect time travel?
Mary: I have no clue as to how the date got messed up. Very annoying. 🙂
BD: Nothing worth relating. Late night musings. It just seems we all spend a lot of time in our own heads justifying our actions based on “it’s just affecting me” or “it’s nobody else’s business,” whereas in reality the former is rarely so, and thus, by extension the latter. Rather than spend a lot of time saying “people” and “other folks,” I related it from my own perspective.