Self-Care

What I think about it:

Self-care is proof that you're prepared to care for others. So, no, I don't think self-care is selfish, always that you keep it ethical. Self-care means that you are prepared to give back, to share some of your own well-being, and how you conceive it tell much of who you are.

For the ethical person, selfishness is irreconcilable with self-care, for they will never want evil.

Now, my dear friends, if you see that someone can say they feel good while standing idly by in the face of what is in their hands to solve, and I mean their responsibilities, I think we can say that these people are either selfish or sick in some way, or both. Selfishness is one of those human traits that become a disease at some point.

We're all selfish to some extent. Some things you just can't help.

For me, self-care includes taking care of my mental and physical health: cultivating my mind with lots of reading, not only reading books but reading every person and situation; cultivating my spirit with charity: actively loving and respecting myself and all nature and creatures that are and will be. At least trying.

Selfishness manifests itself in many ways. There are people who won't take care of their appearance, for example; you may think them unworried or humble, but they may be hiding resentment. These could be more selfish than you’re willing to believe. I’ve seen they don’t think others deserve better because they don’t see the point: If I make do by eating scraps; if I make do without shampoo or perfume, without sanitary napkins, then others must also make do. Ring any bells? Mine do ring.

I won’t talk about politics, and you may call it preterition, but socially resented people in the government will never feel that you deserve better. After a life of poverty and/or political failure—and other misfortunes--, they’re convinced they are morally superior; paradoxically, they’ll become the most vicious snobs, while ranting against the ills of economic wealth. They’re selfish and won’t acknowledge the real benefits that self-care can have for the people to build a healthy society. They’ll keep on telling you that being poor is good and they will work hard to make you assimilate the idea that self-care is overrated.

Show me a dozen people from which I have to choose to run my country. I should never choose the one who puts his ignorance and/or lack of education on display, communicates improperly, or wears untidy clothes. It’s about appearances, partly yes, and those can be deceiving, but you must have a clever mind to go with those eyes.

If you neglect your fundamental obligations such as taking care of your children and other loved ones who may need your help urgently, for example, to do your nails, oh, that is selfish, no doubt! And it may seem wrong for me to say so, since the last time I used nail polish, I put it on a rag doll more than thirty years ago.

As I’m here about to allow myself a little me time to look and feel better, I know there are children starving, someone’s wife is getting beaten, medicine is not getting to that ICU bed in time. Bad things happen all the time, and there's always one in need. We all need to put our minds at ease for a while.

This may be a bit of a truism, but we can't save everybody, let alone all the time. Hence, I truly believe that if we devote some of our energies and time to contribute to make the world a better place every day, this is good to build a healthy spirit and keep a healthy conscience which allow us to devote time to our self-care while we actually believe we deserve it.

I also know that if we take care of ourselves, we reduce the chances to become a burden to someone else. I call that consideration, not selfishness.

Finally, I can tell you that if I have the joy of reaching old age, I want to be lucid, healthy and independent, so I can continue being useful and working for my own goals. So yes, I will continue to take care of myself.