Expect Nothing

Daily Meditation #139 — 7/11/2022

Don’t you just hate it when someone “butts” in on you? (Forgive me — I searched for way too long to find an image that encapsulated the concept of “rudeness.” So, here’s a cute sheep and a terrible pun.)

Entitlement is the ultimate slash across the hamstring of humbleness.

When someone in front of you fails to hold the door and it slams back into you, it’s hard to not feel angry.
“How the hell can someone be so rude?”

Or, when they make you slam on your brakes because they didn’t use a turn signal, it’s natural to want to give them an Italian Salute.
“What the ****, you incompetent little…”

The unfortunate truth is that no one has to do anything for anyone else, whether it’s holding a door, using a turn signal, helping you with a heavy bag or picking up their trash that has blown into your yard.

Should people do these things?
Yeah — probably.

But, you are entitled if you feel they are obligated to act in these ways.
We never understand what others are going through or what they’ve experienced. As such, it’s immature for us to expect them to act up to our expectations.

Be considerate, always, but have no expectations of others consideration.
Strive for wisdom, always, but have no expectations of others being wise.
Strive for balance — financial prudence, relationship wellness, physical wellness, and spirituality as we discuss in YouDaimonia — but have no expectations of others having balance.

Act, yourself, in a manner consistent with who you insist you are.

Follow for daily philosophical meditations.

These are distillations from my coming book “YouDaimonia: the Ancient Philosophy of Human Flourishing.”