Humans have observed the concept of "every man for himself" for years. It's been a poignant and divisive phrase especially in entertainment. We've heard, or more so felt, this maxim in countless popular works. It travels through worlds of dystopia, apocalypse, and chaos. Yet, as we travel through social media today, is this silly cliche starting to define many youths' lifestyles, and why would this be harmful?

Since its emergence, social media has been a candid space to discover. So it's truly no surprise the popularity of "self care" is so incredible. With each new fad, people flock to try new products, hacks and mindsets.

The "me mentality" is a mindset largely promoted by popular creators and influencers who proudly preach ideas of protection, security, and success. It is described as putting you, your mood, desires, and goals first, often at the expense of others' personal aspirations. It puts emphasis on often narcissistic ideals and failings of empathy. Although many of the fundamentals of the mindset seem to be negative, the "me mentality" can also promote self love, especially in those who are not used to putting their health first. Even so, materialization of this mindset on social media is often taken to more of the extreme end, influencing thousands to follow suit.

Don't be mistaken, self care and loving oneself are extremely vital skills for anyone to practice. In some instances, the promotion of these ideas influence people to also focus on their physical health, an essential thing for anyone to prioritize. But, the challenge is the way that these tactics are being promoted.

Social media has become a large amplifier of this blurred division of the two practices. A common idea in the "me first" internet realm is cutting off toxicity in your life. Recommended and explained by many guru influencers, to achieve happiness, you must cut off anything (or anyone) that doesn't objectively, face value, benefit you in some way. This idea is extremely problematic as it blankly doesn't factor in empathy for others.

While someone may not shower you with gifts, or offer the best advice, or fit your "vibe", your relation with them is not meaningless. Individuals all have worth, although their ways may be hidden. In "cutting off toxicity" I urge you to take a closer look into your relationships. We, no matter what, have an impact on others just as they do us. Cutting people off often causes people to forget that building a connection with others takes time and care. Just because you are not instantly rewarded by someone's presence doesn't mean they aren't worth anything to you.

Furthermore, the idea that people have an assigned worth takes away from their humanity. Seeing people only as their contributions builds an extremely harmful mindset that prioritizes gaining things from others rather than giving, frankly, anything to society. Not taking time to build relationships risks losing your ability to make connections and empathize with anyone, turning emotionally distant and numb.

So how do these wires get crossed? These two concepts deceivingly have many similarities, yet differ in extremities. To determine if your actions may be crossing the line of the two, you should consult your motivation. Ask yourself, "why do I want to practice self care?" chances are, if the reason involves improving others perception of you, or impressing others, your motivations may be flawed and lead you down a selfish path. This motivation is harmful because it can often be stronger than personally driven goals because it contains a sense of urgency. When you intend to take care of yourself to generally feel better, you are more likely to test the waters of methods to make sure they work for you because your main focus is your comfort. Contrastingly, evolving for other people is often backed by some sense of anger or insecurity which influences you to work harder, yet not safer, putting your success above anything, even other people.

The world that we as youths are inheriting is a crooked and cruel place. In times like these especially, it is our duty to train ourselves to be the next leaders and changemakers because if we don't make a notable change to our ways, we will succumb to the same bleak future we have been warned about our whole lives. This is why empathy is now so important because in our shifting of the corrupt world balance, if we are not open to recognizing the struggles of a community over the struggles of an individual, we will fail in changing anything. No global change is championed by only one cause, just as you can't improve yourself for the sole purpose of pleasing others.