Being Watched

What if you knew that every single move you made was seen and copied? What if every word you said was repeated? What if all of your decisions became mandatory for everyone else?

That probably scares most of us.



Just the idea that I am being watched by cameras at work scares me, I can't even take the pressure of a roomful of people watching me. But the knowledge that everyone had to act like me? I wouldn't be able to take that pressure, I would be frozen stiff with fear. But not long ago, I was at debate camp and the instructor showed us this quote:

       

           "Live your life as though your every act were to become a universal law" 

                                                   -Immanuel Kant


And that was the moment that this blog post was born (I just procrastinated on finishing it for a while) Just think about that quote. Your every act becoming a universal law. Talk about pressure! Most of us would change our actions, right? We would at least think through things more. My last post, on respect, talked about being respectful and earning respect. To be respected, you have to live a lifestyle that can be respected. That doesn't mean acting well just in public. It doesn't mean not strangling getting along with your siblings when your being watched. It means LIVING YOUR LIFE  in a way that deserves respect. ALWAYS. As though EVERY act would become a law.



And that's hard. But we should try it. In this world we where can be anything, we should be respectable. If you knew that literally everything you did was becoming mandatory for everyone else, would you change the way you act? I know that my actions would change drastically if my decisions were becoming a law. We change our actions if we think we are being watched. But there are some people who seem to be perfect all the time. Those are the people you keep watching. And I have been privileged to know people like that. In fact, there are people reading this that have inspired me to be a better person. People who are constantly kind, full of joy, and always understanding. And I'm sure there are people like that in your life as well. Those are the people we need to try to be like, and eventually people will watch you as they see those same qualities in your life. We need to be living a life that inspires.




It's time that we start living a life that can be respected. We need to make ourselves examples for others in every action. And maybe, we can start a chain reaction. If we live our life as though we are being watched, chances are people will start to watch us. You could inspire someone to copy your actions, just by doing the right thing. You don't have to change the world to make an impact, just by living your life as though every act were to become a universal law makes an difference. It will impact you. It will inspire others. So I challenge you to change, and become a person worth watching, because people will watch.