I bear witness too frequently than I prefer, to those who follow the want to path as a day to day ethos. I’m 110% on the cheer squad for want to when the time is appropriate, however you will find me on the non-supportive side of the seesaw should a want to approach to life strip the compassion, free will and dignity of those who are involved. When the imbalance of a constant want to attitude is in full tilt, it will usually demand its price to the perpetrator; illness, debt, loneliness and estrangement are some of the effects. Then perhaps when the hole is dug too deep, guilt and shame sets in then pride takes over to protect the facade. Going down in a blaze of covered defeat is sadly not so unheard of.
On the should do note, I would like to clarify some foundations in the sense that my should do does not necessarily match your should do or societal should dos. I’m talking about a humane borderless should do, like not torching and pillaging a sleeping defenceless village whose wheat fields feed the surrounding villages and sustain numbers of hungry communities... you know, just for fun or for a bit of meat. How about lacking a basic level of understanding and compassion, when someone is at their lowest point in life and maybe a simple gesture of care would ripple through eternity, even though it may require a sacrifice.
I get it, somewhere along the line, the seductive allure of living by the whim of the want can spiral into a selfish life perspective because the constant short term gratification is powerful and easy. What about when the line blurs, for instance when you’ve wanted for so long to see your family overseas, you know it’s something that should be done as well, I find it falls nicely in place with the should do, it’s a bonus that want is on the same side too.
All in all, it seems to me, an overladen want to attitude is actually toxic, it may feel freeing and fruitful but it is all on credit, eventually it will have to be paid back somehow. Luckily I think, I’ve developed a natural instinct for knowing what is right for me, what I should do, and what is wrong for me, what I want. Fortunately I can manage to pick up on this pretty quickly when a situation occurs and funny thing is, what I know I should do can sometimes feel like a drag, it actually ends up being the thing I truly wanted in the end.
** Making a list of stuff that should be done
