Sometimes, Your Decisions Cost Me

The world loves the saying, “to each his own.”  It is a champion of doing what is right “for you.”

This mentality fails to highlight the problems with these sayings, or with this kind of way of living. There is the plain and simple fact that more often than naught, our own decisions affect others.

Rarely do the decisions we make affect only us.

I am here to say that many, many times I have been hurt, stressed, lost financially, and been burdened, by the decisions that other people have made – for themselves.

When we think only of ourselves, we fail to see how our decisions affect those around us, especially those we care about.  Someone always picks up the tab for a responsibility, problem, issue, or dilemma that we choose to leave unaddressed. If it’s not us – then who is it? Someone else!

Someone else always picks up the tab emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Issues in life can’t just hang out in the open air to dangle for eternity. They have to be dealt with.  Not only that, sometimes the issues we DO choose to address, are still dealt with by someone else nearby. It’s an overflow issue.

When we choose to do things to our bodies, those near us have to deal with those choices as well, whether or not they agree or like it.   When we choose to live according to ideals or principles, those who love us are affected by those same ideals and principles – whether they are good ones, or bad ones.

I’m not saying we have to consult everyone around us before we make decisions in life. I AM saying that we should give thought to how our choices might affect the people we love; especially if there is the possibility of them being affected negatively.

It is also important to remember that when we choose to run out on commitments, problems, responsibilities, etc – someone else is often left holding the bag. It may not cost you, but it costs them.

You may not have to deal with the affects of quitting that job – but your parents might, as it weighs more heavily on them financially to help you out.

You may not see the problem in growing or smoking marijuana in your backyard, but the neighbor who has to breathe and smell it next door might.

You may not have any problem with your dogs running around the neighborhood, but your neighbor who doesn’t own pets and has to constantly scoop up poop or gets pee spots in his green grass might have something different to say about that.

You may not worry about that money that was loaned to you years ago, but the person who loaned it to you could really use that amount repaid to them.

Our decisions always cost someone. It’s better that that someone be us, than someone else. We need to be responsible for the choices and moves we make in life.

If we can own our actions and behaviors, we can overcome them, as well. And we won’t ruin relationships along the way.