Help others. Part of our obligation.

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Bill Murray - Caddyshack

Q. Are there days where you wake up and think: “Nothing good has come to me in a little while. I’d better prime the pump”?

A. Well, who hasn’t woken up thinking, “God, nothing good has come to me in a while,” right? When I feel like I’m stuck, I do something — not like I’m Mother Teresa or anything, but there’s someone that’s forgotten about in your life, all the time. Someone that could use an “Attaboy” or a “How you doin’ out there.” It’s that sort of scene, that remembering that we die alone. We’re born alone. We do need each other. It’s lonely to really effectively live your life, and anyone you can get help from or give help to, that’s part of your obligation.

~ Dave Itzkoff interviewing Bill Murray, Sunday, December 2, 2012, New York Times: With Bill Murray, Just Take the Trip

25 thoughts on “Help others. Part of our obligation.”

  5. Early morning and you come to me for help 🙂 what is this time you want? I got you t their water connection but you messed up..anyway..this time you need to double my fee..yep ..and about birth and death, its funny but when I cam I was crying and when I leave others cry.

  8. That’s so very true.. But it’s a shame so many live an unhappy life and may eventually be close to alone at the end, even when they had the potential to do more..

  9. David,
    Doing something for someone that they can’t do for themselves, even just making something easier is a free high, yet I never thought of asking the question you mentioned just like that in the morning.
    The Prayer of Jabez is my fav. Somehow waking up in the morning and asking that question just like that, delights me int smiling all over, like I’m wearing my new shoes.
    Thanks!
    Way

      1. David
        Cool, that is. It was nice to red that article.
        Thanks
        The verse is crammed in the middle of a bunch of genealogy and often missed in the Old book.
        Makes me think of a breeding program though, were the game makers are going that’s a good honorable one, breed him into the future Christ’s lineage.

        If I have one version memorized right.
        I got it off from a little book on a tape that I popped in the player when there was nothing else to listen to thinking it may be a story, you know what happened when, or why Jabez got cornered into praying or something exciting-Hopefully. But it was not.

        It cut the prayer out like this if I got it memorized correctly.
        “Oh, that You would bless me indeed! Expand my territories. Let Your Hand be with me. Keep me from evil that I cause no pain.”

        The book broke it down in a delightful way a chapter for each sentence of the prayer. The things that I remembered and why I memorized it, and start my day with it is this:

        Oh=intense emotion and need, absolutely must have.
        Bless me=Asking for something personal
        Indeed!= allot! Loved that. Though Alison Wright is gonna laugh at me.
        “that I cause no pain.”=insurance to me. The first time I ever heard or imagined that such could be requested. It blew my mind. I wanted to pray that every day. Whatever works you know. Even though I had stopped praying altogether for years. Didn’t want to ever pray for anything again without this assurance.
        So I got to say “Indeed!” and feel protected from causing pain. : )
        Can’t beat that.
        I love this prayer.
        Though I forgot the authors name, he is a wit, brilliant, and practical.
        Not as pretty as Rumi though. ; )

        Way

  10. Great post. Its not always about what we want sometimes its about what others want from us which would add life to our life. Sometimes we get more when we give a little part to others.

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