Berthe Morisot: Self-Portrait (c. 1885)

"…its purpose lies in its reach more than in its actual grasp."

Decency appears to be tenaciously self-interested. Not self-centered or self-obsessed, but definitely and, occasionally, defiantly Self-Interested.

Decency considers self-sacrifice to be at best a minor obscenity, if, occasionally, an absolute necessity. It will not cede much of its Self-Interest even when agreeing to sacrifice some of itself. It will retain enough self to regain whatever it might agree to temporarily contribute to a cause.

Decency jealously guards itself as its principal. It holds no interest in bartering away the very source of its ability. It strives to remain congruent whatever might befall it, and, believe me, it is prey to every imaginable calamity.

And the choices rarely seem clear. Thieves burgle Self-interest’s home, too. It’s continually surprised by what transpires. It also startles at strange noises in the night. It sometimes lives in fear and fright.

Indecency might often be nothing more or less than inadvertent, an oversight, an accident. Who hasn’t stumbled into something that turned out to be different from what was initially imagined? Who flawlessly foresees every outcome? Nobody ever has and nobody ever will. We each stumble and sometimes fall, which might be why Decency learns never to go all the way in, by which I mean, all the way out of themselves, disregarding their Self-Interests.

The self-centered build indefensible fortresses against their perfectly understandable fears. They err in insisting that they must always remain satisfied with every decision and every direction. They insist on feeding themselves first and frequently forget that others are continuously sharing their table. It’s indecent not to offer some of yours to others.

The self-obsessed can’t quite see beyond their foreheads. They fail to perceive relationships. They insist they are islands when they’re not even isthmuses. They ignore their connections. They inhabit an imaginary universe that ultimately serves their interests poorly. What might have been innocent Self-Interest becomes an indecent ignorance of others.

Decency was always a delicate balance, its very delicacy its divinity, not necessarily easy. Decency might mostly be an aspiration —an insistent intention rather than consistent practice. The variations experienced need not undermine the underlying purpose. Decency tends to be trending more than consistent, waxing, then waning, sometimes feigning existence.

Decency doesn’t forget: it’s very remembering —its essence. Its reach might almost always exceed its actual grasp, but it almost never forgets that its purpose lies in its reach more than in its actual grasp. It might at times exceed ninety percent reach without losing its defining presence.

©2025 by David A. Schmaltz - all rights reserved

Tags: #Decency, #PureSchmaltz