I try, in my life, to limit the number of things I actually give a fuck about.
Really.
Mercifully, I’ve been able to piece together an adequate amount of self-awareness to see this clearly. I only have so many fucks to give. I wasn’t always like this. I’ve spent a lot of time (more than I’d care to admit), giving a fuck about inconsequential shit. Wasting a ton of time.
To be clear, when I say ‘give a fuck’ I mean:
Allocating your physical and/or mental and/or financial resources to something or someone - whether the recipient of this energy is aware of it or not.
There are whole industries dedicated to making sure people give a fuck about the wrong thing.
Celebrity news. Kanye had a breakdown. Rob & Blac Chyna broke up - oops, no, they got back together. The Jenner that’s dating Tyga bought him another car (damn, lots of Kardashian related shit). I’ve let myself go down the rabbit hole that is the comment section on these sites and it made me sad - for humanity. It’s an overload of vitriol. People actually seem to spend material amounts of time providing commentary on the lives of people they’ve never met - with gumption and gusto.
Conversely, the opinion of others is always another thing not to give any fucks about. We want to be loved/respected/seen so desperately that we give almost worshipful credence to what other people might think about what we do. We will willingly become unrecognizable to ourselves for the chance at validation. Fuck that noise. You only get the one life. Even if reincarnation is really a thing you won’t remember the other go ‘rounds you’ve had. So as far as you’re concerned, this ain’t no rehearsal.
I read an article recently that explained how Americans spend billions of dollars a year on their pets. This figure included clothes, toys and even plastic surgery for neutered pets that are no longer anatomically correct. That’s right, you can have fake balls implanted in your dog, all for aesthetics. I don’t know why anyone would give a fuck about their dog not having balls. A) You had them cut off in the first place and B) Dogs don’t care. They aren’t going to be shunned at the dog park. We are a nation rich enough to have elective (and unnecessary) surgery performed on dogs, but there are children who go to bed regularly without enough to eat.
I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t give a fuck about anyone or anything. That’s antithetical to the point of us being here on this plane of existence. Just be discerning about it.
I usually start with the big picture. What kind of person do I want to be? I’d like to be the kind of person where I’m more concerned with (and well versed in) what’s going on with the worldwide refugee crisis, or the drought in California. I’d like to be a person that meditates daily and exercises regularly and eats only the the best, healthy foods. I’d like to focus on my work, continuing to push myself and reach my potential. I’d like be a great wife and mother and daughter and friend. I hope to leave my tiny part of the world better than I found it.
Anything else? Distraction.
It’s not only the mental and physical effort that it take to give a fuck, it’s the time. Time is a non-renewable resource. Whether you spend it on bullshit or not, it’s gone. Despite the cutting edge efforts of the cosmetic surgery industry, you will never be 10 years younger again, no matter what your face looks like. This ride comes to an end, for every single one of us.
I just think it will suck to get to the end and realize you gave too many fucks about the wrong thing.
