[2022-08-14] Be useful
Today, I read one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's seven goals, as he celebrates his 75th birthday. Goal #2 is be useful. He writes that his dad always told him "Be useful, Arnold"—advice that has become more meaningful as he has aged.
Schwarzenegger recommends to readers:
Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. There will always be tragedies and disasters and injustices you can’t solve. But there will also always be little moments when you can do something—anything—to help.
Schwarzenegger appears to present being useful as the antidote to being angry. He has this to say about the anger he sees in America:
When I look at history, I see a lot of big economic shifts. But I don’t see this same problem with millions of people feeling lost and angry. I think the biggest difference is that now, people can fill their time with hundreds of hours of social media and entertainment that is designed to make them as pissed off as possible so they keep coming back. It sucks you into a cycle of outrage, and it never offers you hope or purpose or solutions. Those people on your screen aren’t interested in solving problems, because they don’t make money by solving problems. They make money from you being mad as hell. If you find yourself spending hours a day on your phone or television, turn it off for a while and try to find a purpose.
Finding a purpose—or being useful—can come in many forms, says Schwarzenegger:
You can be useful at a job, but you can also be useful as a father, as a friend, as a mentor. You can even be useful by improving yourself, by reading a book that teaches you a new perspective or starting to hit the gym. But it doesn’t require any heavy lifting. You just have to be willing to ask yourself, "How can I help?" instead of "How can I hurt?"
Being helpful doesn't have to be a monumental undertaking. Schwarzenegger writes:
You don’t need your usefulness to be a grand gesture, just do anything to help anyone and you’ll feel the bitterness you’re holding onto start melting away.
I like the goal of being useful. When I got cancer, I knew that I wanted to find meaning in my circumstances. I wrote this in my September 4, 2020 blog post Mission:
Because I didn't want my world to become just about the disease, I adopted a new mission: wring every positive thing out of cancer, grow from the experience, and be an even brighter light in the world, both during and after treatment.
At that point, I had already started my blog, though I did not know yet the potential my daily musings would have to positively influence other people. In the early days of my blog, I heard from many individuals who shared the impact of my writing on them. I continue to hear that now, though less frequently. Still, I remind myself that Jenesis is making a difference. Blogging is my way of being useful.
I said to a friend yesterday that as I blog about my own efforts to live a better life, I encourage others to reflect on their own lives and to perhaps do a few things a little differently. I told my friend that I don't have life all figured out. Far from it. What I write about is what I—as much as anyone else—need to learn.
While I learn, I find myself seeking out positive, helpful and kind voices while avoiding negative, unhelpful and angry ones. I gravitate towards people who are useful, and strive to be one of those people myself.
