Selfish? You decide.

Selfishness; it's something to frown upon, isn't it? Let's look at a different view. What if someone is SO selfless, that they basically sacrifice any bit of their own happiness to make any enemy the happiest person in the world? They allow themselves to be trod on and stomped on... Not really caring as to what happens to oneself, so long as someone else is happy as a result. Shouldn't that be frowned upon as well? Not giving yourself a lick of emotional attention that you so desperately need, or even letting yourself enjoy 5 minutes of silence. Meditation. Prayer. Is that so wrong? Would it be considered selfishness if you finally wake up, and get out of the rut that you so foolishly fell into? Thinking that everything you say and do absolutely HAS to revolve around someone else's life, happiness, or pain? I think not. I think the best thing you can do for someone is give them the oh-so-needed advice to be selfish. No, no... not the kind of selfishness that a toddler displays when a "Friend" tries to play with his/her toys. It's the kind of selfishness that makes YOU a better person all around. A better friend, boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, mother/father, brother/sister... the list goes on. YOU need to be selfish for yourself. Give yourself all that you deserve, all that you need to sustain life and happiness. Do it in such a way, that people will envy you for giving yourself the time of day. So many people mistake this kind of selfishness with the most common kind. People will tell you that you're arrogant, or cocky for saying "I need to be selfish for a moment. Just a moment.." How can men and women be naive? We need to set time aside to accomplish dreams... make them realities. If you aren't the best you can be... and only to YOUR standards, not everyone else's, how can you expect to be so selfless to someone when you are a mediocre "you?" You need to put everyone else aside, and focus on you. Your school is more important, your emotional stability is more important, the chances you take in order to be a better "you" are more important. Think about it; what better gift can you give someone? If you are a mediocre person, and you're "there" for someone all the time... what happens when you can't take it anymore? You could have had the chance to make yourself stronger, wiser, and more patient. You not only deprived yourself, but also everyone around you. In order to really grasp this idea of being "selfish," you need to think: "How much better can I truly be?" and work on it. You need to set your priorities, and make it clear to everyone, especially yourself that you have a duty to be the best YOU can be.