Primarily we do things because we think we should.
Please discuss. How does this play out in life?
I’ll start us out. We spend much of our time doing things we feel we ought to. We take care of friends and family, do work we’re paid for, volunteer with charitable organizations, do things we feel make us a nice person. A good portion of our time and effort is enmeshed in a web of duty and obligation, leaving very little free time for things that speak to our souls.
Some obligations are inescapable or ones we would not choose to ignore, even if we could. While they represent things we feel we have do, they may still be things we would elect to do, even if not enthusiastically. The dilemmas is that more of our time is spent on non-elective tasks than we might prefer.
Today’s message reminds me to review what I think of as obligations. For those things I feel I must do, I can evaluate their necessity. What might happen if I just didn’t do them? If I feel they are absolutely required, I can reframe them as a conscious choice, whether or not I enjoy the actual activity. At least, If I recognize my actions as voluntary, there will be less resistance on my part.
I may also choose not to do some things, recognizing my self-assigned sense of duty is the compelling force. The less I am under self-imposed duress, the freer I will feel. The less I blindly obey the compulsion to do things that may be viewed as helpful or nice, the more time I will have to be kind to myself.
How about you? How do you feel about and handle obligations?