DO IT ANYWAY

The only way to greatness is to make oneself nothing. -- Lao-tzu

What does greatness look like to me? and within me? For a long time now, my conscious striving has been to put the other person first. It is interesting to observe the other person's (or any other person's) reaction to that.

For instance, Ruckus was mauled recently by an unleashed dog (the owner of which I had spoken to previously about her need to leash her dog). After my initial terror and upon learning that Ruckus had not been seriously hurt, I did not castigate her...in fact, I was reasonable. I asked for and got her payment for his injuries, told her that Animal Control had been notified (by the vet since that is the law), and fairly well let it go. The owner was less than gracious with my graciousness. On top of which, I told a friend of mine, and she went ballistic towards the owner. When I answered her questions that I had not chewed the lady a new one, nor did I have any intention of suing, she doubled down on her fury, this time towards me.

Then there is the  acquaintance of mine who had missed a couple of our groups' weekly get-togethers. I sent an e-mail asking if he was well. He took it that I was hitting on him and has been extremely to overly friendly since then.

I haven't found it necessary to set anybody straight...just observed all of these albeit with a sense of disappointment. Which brought the question to mind: What was I expecting? Kudos? Gratitude? Unending praise?

I think greatness may be in those who do decent without thinking...with no expectations on the other end. There's an old saying which I can't remember right now but it's about Something Something Is Its Own Reward. Gratitude or grace...or charity, maybe. Doing the decent thing is its own reward. After all, there was no stupefyingly wondrous thing that I did...it was simply the decent thing.

"The decent thing" just doesn't have a great ring to it...where's the glory in that? Or, more like, where's the ego-victory in that? There it is. There's my realization. I know from hard-earned experience that an ego-victory is not the answer...never was, never will be. It is not only not the answer, it is the trip-tik to rues, regrets and remorses.

So however, whatever, the responses are (within and without) to doing the decent thing, do it anyway.

Thank You.