Freemason Wisdom: Benjamin Franklin On Egotism

 
"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle."

~Benjamin Franklin

St. Johns Lodge, Philadelphia, PA

 I think we all know that person that take themselves way too seriously--in fact, we may see that person each morning in the mirror.  It's always been an easy trap to fall into, even more so in today's world of Facebook, and Twitter.  We get this idea in our heads that we are indeed the center of the universe, and people are waiting with baited breath for our next Facebook "update" to make sure we made it to the library okay.

Think about it a little bit today--are you going through life with the belief that you are the center of the universe?  Are you in need of a reality check?  Do you need to take a step back, and reassess your life, perhaps spend a little more time living in the "real world" rather than the one you've created for yourself? 

Try three things today:

1.) Listen to what other people think (not using that time others are talking to think about what you're going to say next).
2.) Go an entire day without posting, or checking your Twitter and Facebook accounts.
3.) Go an entire day without talking about yourself.

If you do this, and find it's been a very difficult challenge, there is a very good chance you're the very small bundle Benjamin Franklin was talking about.  What are you going to do about it?  Return to that bubble you've created around yourself, or figure out how to get back to living in the real world again?

~TEC