You Are Not Important.
I had an interesting conversation with two great friends today about Self Image. How you view yourself vs how other people view you. And I have decided that there are three main PERSPECTIVES from which you can view the world.
1. You can look at yourself through others eyes. I still remember when it happened to me, around grade Five, maybe earlier… I realised that there where other people in the world. I realised that just as I looked at things and people, they looked at things and people and i was one of those people. I started to look at myself through the eyes of others. As if i was a different person, making judgements, assessing flaws and failings. You know that akward phase kids go through, the early tween years when they develop a self image? Its because their perspective changes and they start to look at themselves from the outside. You change your hair and the clothes you wear and the way you act. But this is NOT COOL, beause what this means is: you are seeking external validation. And no matter how many compliments you get, no matter how many awards you win and how amazing beyond belief you are, you will never feel satisfied. Believe me, I’ve been there.
2. You can look at yourself through the eyes of God. God created you, he made your nose that way, he gave you that sense of humour. And God is perfect, he dose everything right first time, so he knew what he was doing when he created you and YOU are a master peice. This is the best perspective you can look at yourself from. You dont need the approval of insignificant strangers or friends, you only need the approval of your creator, and you had that before you were born.
Number 1 is the most negative, distorted, unreliable, unimportant way to look at yourself. Number 2 is the most all encompassing, correct, reliable, supportive, positive, important way to look at yourself. But when i thought about this a bit more, I realised that God didnt give me the eyes of others, and he didnt give me his eyes either, he gave me MINE.
3. Look at the world through your eyes. This is how you look at the world to begin with; when you are a child. Before you learn how to look at yourself through others eyes. Children don’t have bad or good “self esteem”. They don’t stand around thinking about what others think about them. Because there is so much else in the world to see, so much to discover. And….get ready for it…. your not that important. None of us are really very important when you think about it. 99.999% of all human beings will die and be completely forgotten. They will become dust in the circle of life. And even if you are Albert Einstein, who cares? What is fame worth once you are dead? Now this might seem depressing, IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF! But stop it! you arn’t that Important! The world is full of beautiful and amazing things. You have a very short time to taste it, dance across it, get your hands dirty. There is a reason our eyes are not bent around looking back at us, because we weren’t made to stand around hateing ourselfs or admiring yourselves. This life is not about me. It is about God and the good things i can do on this earth.
So I don’t know about you, I’m going to try to Keep Perspective. And make this world better in the sort time I am here.
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11 Responses to “You Are Not Important.”
I find a typo (sort instead of short) in the last sentence.
Very good post and yo have perfect matching pictures to your thoughts. I can’t fault your thoughts especially with a good selection of picture to back up your thought. To a large extent, the truth when viewed not in a broader sense may be very saddening and conveys one’s little insignificance seen by others and consumed by you and many others unfortunately.
I hope you are in the second group of people thinking of how God sees them. But I have disagreement with your last paragraph with a pathetic conclusion of short live with no meaning and who cares as we all die in a short period. I am especially troubled to see “you are not important.” Did you just mention that God loves you in 2nd paragraph. If He really loves you, dead or alive, He still loves you. Then why are we not important when we are alive and God loves us from the day we are born to the day we are dead, and the days we are in ashes.
And for the Christian faith that I am in, there is eternal life after physical death if you have accepted Christ as your savior. If you see it with from my religion belief. Of course the believe is in complete contradiction to your belief of circle of dust — how pathetic your believe is. Your life while alive IS VERY IMPORTANT. Why should it not be! It would be very pathetic if Albert Einstein lives today and see your post saying who cares as he is dead already. And you have millions scientist knocking on your front door begging you the question on what THE HELL you are talking about. I may read your post in a wrong way perhaps 3 am in the morning. I find truth but I find very troubled writing in the post on your 3rd paragraph perhaps confusing your readers with sarcastic views on life with extreme negative and pathetic thoughts and sense towards life because of belief that you are in. Can I ask what religion you are in. With sarcastic view of writing, your 3rd paragraph may mislead readers or encourage people to devalue themselves for importance but not to excel for the best as in Albert Einstein. If your thoughts are read by youngsters carelessly as I am doing now without a clear thought, they may read all the negatives in their minds that on one is important — is that what you believe? I hope they have my Christian faith and see that what I see — everyone is important even in the views of many people that live on this earth. It is unlikely your view, very sad to people thinking like you. When you say how the world sees a person as important and I hope you also count those people like me who sees everyone as important and I was told by my Christian faith to I love everyone that I run across my path. That is how one show s love to God by loving his or her neighbors. I hope you can consider rewriting your 3rd paragraph to clarify your view points not with sarcasm but with a direct approach to deal with the subject with positive thoughts that rise above the odds and present it with the negative sarcastic views that this world can do without.
There are several typo in my comment. You know what I mean, just add the negation to few of the thought I have towards your pathetic view of the world. Man, it is so sad, it is very likely that I read all wrong from you. But in my humble opinion your negative views is NOT helping your post.
My third paragraph wasn’t sarcastic. what i meant by it was that in the Ultimate scheme of things humans are insignificant. I’m a non-denominational Christian and the bible says that men are like grass (or flowers?) in that they fade in time. The point i was trying to get across is that we should stop obsessing over ourselves and stop looking at our selves and just experience life. Maybe our perceptions are distorted in that we can think life is all about US but really there are bigger things to worry about. I’ll quote myself: “Now this might seem depressing, IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT YOURSELF!”. I really think we should stop obsessing over ourselves and care about others.
Thanks for your in depth comment! I hope that explains my P.O.V better!
I really do understand what you mean, and Hin Man is really missing the point.
I had this revelation when I was in year 12. I am so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, why even care?
Only, I didn’t make the connection to ‘experience the world’ back then, it was more of a ‘well, there’s not much point in caring what other people think’ thing.
Yes - we are insignificant. Yes - we are unimportant. No - nobody will remember who we are in 1000 years time.
Good post. Hin Man: the message isn’t that we don’t matter, the message is to get over worrying and start enjoying life!
Great post…I had a laugh at my Mother’s expense once..I bought her a Watercolour book called Perspective Without Pain…’cos she used to get wound up about things!
Well, I understand you and I understand Hin Man. We do leave footprints. Albert Einstein still “lives”, as does Mother Theresa.
So, the message here perhaps should be - we are important, but we’re merely a part of a much bigger scheme - and it has nothing to do with materialism. Do good and quit worrying about “lookin’ goooood”.
I get the message of your post, and it’s a good one. God Bless.
bloghoppin here…i wish i could do all three perpspectives…
i wish i could have all 3 perspectives too.
Rhys, I really admire your thinking here. Reminds me of Purpose driven Life opening chapter- “It’s not about you!” Oh to live this out! - it’s a battle in a society that has largely left out perspective #2 and so has to sway to #1 to get that sense of fulfilment- but you’re spot on with #3, even tho’ you could of enlarged on it so as to qualm fears that you were saying we ARE nothing- Acually, it sounds a bit like King solomon in Ecclesiasties(?spelling). Another paradox of Christian belief- nothing but something together at the same time.
I was a person in that conversation. I feel special. ^_^
Loved this blog, read it 3 times and now that I’m up to commenting I feel I have nothing to add to the conversation.
But that’s ok, as I’m good-looking.
;P
xo B
PS.
I think it is funny how people from different countries who have never met you have commented on your blog.
They don’t understand you and your subtle sarcasm and sense of humour.
DEAD PEOPLE DON’T MATTER! Heehee.
*sigh*
I love Jesus, and kittens, and you too! (But not in that way… incest!)
^_^
xo B
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