Appreciation...a lost sentiment?

Okay this is partly about children and partly a vent...bear with me please.

I spent a rather interesting weekend with a friend's children. At times it is a real battle not to get disillusioned with children today. Sometimes we encounter children that no matter how hard or how much time and love parents put into raising them grow up to be self centered teens. I have to keep reminding myself that for all those self centered teens there are many genuine appreciative young adults. What makes these children, raised by average loving parents turn out to be so self centered. Well, look around us. On a daily basis I encounter adults that are so full of the 'me, me, me syndrome' that it's no wonder so many children grow up with that attitude. We have only to watch the news to see so many examples. People suing over the littlest thing, people with the attitude 'it's not my fault', people always looking for what they can get out of a situation regardless of how anyone else is affected. They are everywhere. We are living in a society of selfishness that is spreading like a cancer.

Despite this, I refuse to let myself get 'sucked' up into it. I may get a little discouraged, maybe even somewhat angry at times, but I refuse to let it get the best of me because then I will only become an angry bitter person too.

I live by the rule..'treat others as you would have them treat you'. When someone does me a diservice or treats me very unfairly as a friend did this weekend in cancelling for no reason a contract I was really counting on, my first reaction was anger. However, that anger soon grew to be more of a disappointment. Disappointment that this person I had trusted and been so good to would treat me that unfairly. Then the disappointment led to sadness. Sadness, that they let themselves become one of those self-centered people. And truly sad they they are so unhappy that they have to try and spread it. However, as often as I encounter those types of individuals the more determined I am not to let myself fall into that trap. If they only realized that they were only making themselves very unhappy in the long run. All that negativity, all that waste of negative energy is so draining when it would be so much simpler to face life optimistically. To treat people with respect and appreciation and then be the happy recipient of the same treatment back. It's never too late to turn over that leaf and decide to approach life in a more optimistic happy outlook. It would take years off their life.

This woman refuses to let someone elses negative attitude take them down too. For all those unhappy negative people I encounter I know there are many more out there that are truly appreciative and grateful for all they have and the loved ones they have in their lives.

This was a bit off topic and rambling....but hey, that's the way I am....:) Happy thoughts!