John Stuart Mill will always be the link for me in defining how I think about harm. It is not like I spend time thinking about harm, but when the subject of thought or action turns to the possibility of harm, I remind myself of Mr. Mill"s statement: "Do no harm". Three little words of huge magnitude. Do no harm to others or to oneself. Now the context of doing no harm is wide and varied. It includes physical, mental and emotional. That being said, I find that in my life doing no harm is very difficult to attain. Mostly, I do no harm but realistically, I harm despite not wanting to. Life is complicated and I get moving fast and when I move too fast I leave myself vulnerable to harming myself and others. The details of my life are crucial. The opposite of what I had been inculcated to believe. It is in the living of every moment and the details that make that up I find areas where, if I am not paying attention, the opportunity for harm is possible. The value of trying not to harm is that I get to understand the notion of slowing down so that I have a better sense of how I am living my life. It also reflects back that I am not alienating and causing strife to those in my life. Three little words. Although there are three little words which correspond with "Do no harm" and they are "I love you". In doing no harm I find that I can love others and enjoy the camaraderie and love in return from others. I wanted to entitle this post selflessness or the effects of being selfish, however, I decided to take the tack of coming at this subject from the cost/benefit of the action of thought. We must know how to live in order to teach our children how to live. To change the paradigm from "it's all about me", we must begin by understanding and accepting the principle Mr. Mill has phrased for us: "Do no harm".
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