Caring – to care – in all of its forms has always occurred to you - as it did me for most of my life - as something worthy of your consideration, your time, your efforts & most, if not all, of your resources. For you, caring has value and is at the source of good will and warm fuzzy feelings and Teddy Bears. To care is demonstrated in heart-shaped candy boxes and chalky sweet treats with catchy little slogans emblazoned on their faces, not to mention all those Shoebox Greetings and Hallmark cards you've used to spread good cheer throughout the years. Ever since you first became aware of yourself, the world you know has taught you that caring about people, things & circumstances is not only something that you should do, it is also something that is always good for you and everyone else to do and the absence of it is bad. Not caring causes people to relate to you as caddy, cold and heartless and makes you a bad person for not doing so. For not caring in certain circumstances, some might even relate to you as a sociopath.
Well...try this...
I'm about to rob you; not with a gun nor with any threat of harm – unless you regard being relieved of your incessant inclination toward debilitating levels of worry and concern as being harmed. Stay with me for a few moments. Give up your addictions to “the way things are” and walk an unusual path for a while that might just leave you with a whole new perspective on something that’s been coloring your world in a way you would not have allowed had you ever been given a choice.
What follows here is Merriam-Webster's definition of "care" as it is meant to be understood. Notice then, how our culture has had the true meaning of the word deteriorate into what you relate to as the expression of this particular human experience every day of your life. And then, take a moment, survey your life and observe how often you have subjected yourself and others with what could perhaps be one of the worst crimes perpetrated upon the experience of mankind done solely through the spoken word.
Main Entry: 1care Pronunciation: \ˈker\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English caru; akin to Old High German kara lament, Old Irish gairm call, cry, Latin garrire to chatter Date: before 12th century
1: suffering of mind : grief
2 a: a disquieted state of mixed uncertainty, apprehension, and responsibility
b: a cause for such anxiety
3 a: painstaking or watchful attention
b: maintenance <floor-care products>
4: regard coming from desire or esteem
5: charge , supervision <under a doctor's care>
6: a person or thing that is an object of attention, anxiety, or solicitude
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