A Plague Among Us . . .

My mother-in-law gave me a book for Christmas that delivers a daily dose of knowledge on topics from art to science to history.  I was fascinated reading about the Black Death (Bubonic Plague) that swept Europe for 5 years in the mid 1300\’s.  Highly contagious, an estimated 25 million people, one third of the population of Europe, succumbed to this quick and fatal disease.  Can you imagine how devastating that must have been?  They call it a natural holocaust.

I started wondering what could be considered a plague in our families today.  It hit me during a marriage therapy session I was conducting this afternoon.

It\’s selfishness.

The carrier (selfish person) can quickly spread the ugliness and destruction to others, who will find it hard to combat, wearing down emotionally, and finally succumbing to the natural course that selfishness takes.

The devastation left in the wake is broken hearts, homes, and lives. And the scary thing is that we are all afflicted with it off and on in our lives.  Next time you find yourself in a situation where your temper is rising, or you hear yourself justifying something you\’ve done, ask this simple question:

\”Is there anything selfish about what I am doing or saying here?\”

That\’s it.  It is honestly that simple.  Recognize it, stop it, and change it.

A little awareness goes a long way to curbing the effects of any plague, and self-awareness can save us from this horrible form of self-destruction.