Health & Hellness

Don’t get butthurt about this poem. I

think about the concept of “I” a lot. The fact that we are all individuals with complex lives with a priority to ourselves, because that’s truly the only thing we know to be real: ourselves.

I’m not saying there’s no “selfless” people. There are countless genuinely good and selfless people in the world.

But if you truly boil down every conscious, intentional human act, you’ll see that you can always trace the base motivation back to yourself- no matter how much you say, or even think, that it’s all for/about someone else.

I mean no disrespect to good people or excuses for shitty people, but I find it worth pondering in your journey of self-exploration.

So I explore this in my poem.

SELFISH

We are all I’s

Walking in a sea of other I’s.

Some I’s are really loud

Others I’s are really quiet

Some I’s draw your attention to them

Other I’s .. you don’t even notice

One I can ruin your whole day

But I can also ruin another I’s day

One I can make your entire life brighter

Another I might make you feel

like there’s no air in the room.

But all of these I’s-

What are they even doing?

They’re all going about

Living their little lives

Because in the end,

All that matters

Is the

I

i

eye

The eye.

That through which the

I

Sees.

I see through my eyes

The experience of being human.

My emotions are in my eyes

Toxic rain

drips off my lashes

As I cry

The anger away.

The heat of an argument

Drips off my cheek

Onto my pillow

Because all I

Can worry about

Can feel

Can do

Can be

Can see

Can fight for

Is me.

I.

Even the most selfless of all selflessness

Is selfish

Because why are you doing

Anything really?

You’re doing it for you

For I

Me

Because this I

Is your avatar.

You have to take care of it.

You’re lucky to have your I-

Your identity

Your I

In a sea of other I’s

Remember,

Not all eyes

Get to experience the

I,

You’re lucky, i.

What’s more important than

I?

Selflessness, in essence

Does not exist.

You simply cannot be selfless.

Say

An I says

I take care of my grandmother

Aw-

So nice

So selfless-

She’s giving her 20s away

To take care of grams.

Ok but why..?

Why do you do this,

You chose to do this.

Oh, because you love her?

So you help your gran

Because you love her.

You want her to be ok

Because you can’t imagine life without her.

And even tho you hate missing your 20s by

Living with gran

You feel obliged

By family..

Tradition maybe.

Whatever it may be..

And you choose to take care of gran

Because you’ll feel terrible if you don’t

Because you love her

Because you are afraid

Of going out on your own.

Could be any reason-

But the reason you’re doing

That selfless thing you’re doing,

Which truly may be

In common terms,

selfless,

Always boils down to

You doing a selfless thing

Because it makes

You

I

Feel good.

Oh I just love helping others

Amazing

But why?

Because you don’t have to do that

It’s a choice

Is it because you get that

Lil feeling when you

Do that nice thing

For some other I

Or

For a group of I’s,

Just the feeling of

Satisfaction

Of being a good i?

Who wouldn’t let a fellow I down?

And that makes you feel good

And I’s really like to feel good

So just remember

That were all out here

Manning our own

I’s.

Selflessness is fake.

It’s literally all about

Understanding

And knowing

And being

And breathing

And serving

And experiencing

your

I

Because that’s all I have

Is my

I

And that’s all you’ve got too,

I