Self-centered

“Who has never put their own interests before anything else?” asked Eklea, the Shape of Awareness, to the audience attending her class.

No one dared to raise a hand.

“Oh, today’s class is quite conscious of its own behavior, isn’t it?” Eklea continued, a little surprised and pleased.

“But you’re all right—we have all been self-centered at one point or another, sometimes willingly, sometimes without even noticing it.”

“It can happen with people we don’t really appreciate or know, but it also happens with our loved ones and family! Isn’t it a bit paradoxical?”

“But being aware can help us counter this kind of extremely selfish behavior, which disregards the surrounding circumstances and acts only for one’s own convenience.”

“But isn’t it kind of natural to care about ourselves before anything else?” asked a young Esper.

“Yes, it is. But when we have developed the StarDust we all carry within us, we can better understand when we are being selfish. Our natural behavior isn’t always the path to follow, because while it can benefit us for a while, it can harm the planet or the ones we love, without us even realizing it.”

Want to share?


Comments

Leave a Reply


Our latest tales

  • Daily balance

    Daily balance

    Since her birth, Atma, the Shape of Balance, had found in Shala, the Shape of Time, an almost motherly figure. The two were very close and often appeared together, which was a boon for the Espers. For both were representations of abstract concepts that were sometimes difficult to remember or understand, so seeing them together…

    Read more

  • The Power of Habits

    The Power of Habits

    By understanding how deeply habits were the anchor of their own lives, the Espers had realized that they could change many things simply through habit. The power of habits seemed almost magical. Step by step, little by little, what had seemed impossible at first suddenly became possible, even easy. And by following the few principles…

    Read more

  • Learning to Know Your Shadow

    Learning to Know Your Shadow

    Before the revelation of the StarDust to everyone, the presence within each Esper of a Shadow of their own had sometimes been glimpsed, suspected, or felt, but never had it been so easy to perceive. It was therefore a new experience for many, intriguing, surprising, sometimes even difficult and trying, but always real. For this…

    Read more

  • I Think, Therefore I Act

    I Think, Therefore I Act

    Vangel, our little dog from the Land of Fire, was torn between the hope that what he was undertaking could truly change things, and the fear that the inertia of the system might simply be too strong. But he was convinced of one thing: if those who think do not act, then nothing will change…

    Read more

  • The Headlong Rush of Modern Society

    The Headlong Rush of Modern Society

    Joliko, our little red panda companion, had finally freed himself from several addictions that he had chained together, one to escape another. Since then, he had regained what many individuals in modern society had lost: time. Time for himself, to reflect, and to try to understand the world in which he lived, as well as…

    Read more

  • The Awareness of Collective Rationality

    The Awareness of Collective Rationality

    Simba, our little monkey companion from the land of lightning, was beginning to see a little more clearly when it came to awareness. This was mysterious: it now seemed innate to the Espers of the planet, while still needing to be developed. Although he had sensed that several levels of awareness seemed to exist, he…

    Read more

  • Feeling Alone in the World

    Feeling Alone in the World

    Seeing the world from a different perspective than others can be alienating, and can then make you feel as though you are alone in the world. Cha Cha, our little platypus companion, had long been very detached from what was considered normal. As with everyone, what he had experienced during his childhood and the environment…

    Read more

  • Learning from Mistakes

    Learning from Mistakes

    The Espers were far from perfect. Learning from their mistakes was therefore also a natural way for them to grow.But in a society where the right to make mistakes was becoming less and less accepted, learning from one’s own mistakes was also becoming increasingly difficult. The image of success had changed. At the height of…

    Read more