The Two Ways

According to St. Ignatius of Loyola there are two ways that people direct their lives. The first direction is inward (toward self). St. Ignatius calls this movement toward the self, desolation. The second direction is outward (toward others), and he calls this movement towards God and others, consolation.

In the first direction, which is inward, you worry about what others think, strive to be rich, powerful, and prestigious so that you will feel successful. Your relationships with others are important only to the degree that they make you feel good about yourself. You compete with other people and find it difficult to let anyone get ahead of you.

The second direction, which is outward, you think about other people and their feelings. You tend to forget yourself and serve the needs of others. You enjoy cooperating and rarely compete. You treasure relationships not because they make you feel good, but because they are helpful to other people.

Something to ponder? Am I self-centred or other-centred?