Selfies vs Selfless

I was teaching my art classes how to draw self portraits the other day. Shortly after passing out the mirrors I began witnessing a variety of Facebook 'selfie' faces. I was a little taken aback. A room full of elementary students who had already mastered the art of putting a false mask on for the world. I immediately decided to explain the difference between a self portrait, and a selfie.

The experience got me to thinking. The words share the same root, yet are worlds apart in meaning. Which one are children seeing modeled more in life? Which one is getting the most attention? After all, isn't getting attention the motivator for many children's behavior? (Sheesh, aren't there many adults that still are craving attention?)

I would like to change this trend. Let's start giving SELFLESSNESS the attention it deserves. What if, we started to flood the internet with acts of selflessness, instead of selfies? What if, people started brainstorming together about ways they could help others, without expecting anything in return? An entire movement of 'other' focused thinking instead of 'me' focused.

self·less

ˈselfləs/

adjective

1. 1.

   concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one's own; unselfish.

   "an act of selfless devotion"

   synonyms:

   unselfish, altruistic, self-sacrificing, self-denying; More

Here's what I'm proposing. Please restore my faith in humanity and join me on this one. Look for someone acting selflessly. Post it in the comments or on our FB wall (if it's a story you've found on FB, share the link). Share this post. Get your friends involved. Let those children in our lives see that we are focusing on what's really important.

 Let's start something here.

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