Why do we have to Share?

I am an only child. IT WAS GREAT! I highly recommend it. All the toys were mine! All the holiday candy was mine! Sure, I did get bored quite often, which felt like suffering at the time. But I also believe that boredom helped me to personally develop the three areas I am most proud of: my imagination, my creativity, and entertainment trivia knowledge.

This brings me to my question: Why do we have to share? Think about how little kids play. As soon as Kid A picks up a toy, Kid B wants to play with it. Should Kid A have to give it up? I say, Kid B should have to wait till Kid A is done with it.

What if the situation were such that Kid B was visiting Kid A’s house. I believe Kid A should have the right to say which toys Kid B is allowed to play with. Kid A has been taught to respect and take care of his or her toys because they will not be replaced. What if Kid B doesn’t view the world like that?

And “You should share” gets misused all the time. I have a perfect example. I was an elementary school kid on the playground. I had brought my new toy to school. A certain boy wanted to play with it, so he said “You have to share.” I looked at him and laughingly said, “No I don’t!” He was the kind of boy that would have run off with my possession and I never would have seen it again. He was a vile creature, who I still hate to this day, and I am very glad he grew up to be a giant loser. So there, sucker!

As grownups, we don’t have to share. We don’t share our homes (that is squatting), our cars (that is joy riding), or our flat screen TVs (that’s stealing). I guess we need to “share on our own terms.” We should share our wealth with charitable organizations. We should share our good wishes with those in need. We should share our love with others.

My final thought on this subject: Sharing is good, but you are the only person who can look out for you. Don’t let people take advantage of you.