The more I look at the world around me, the more I see selfishness as the greatest bane. Almost any societal ill that can be named has selfishness as its wellspring. While this trait has nearly universal implications, it is we Americans who have refined it to a vulgar art form.
When we get right down to it, selfishness is the cause of most wars. Your country has something our country wants. That something might be freedom, power, wealth, natural resources or geography. Give it to us or we'll blow you to smithereens!
Greed is the epitome of selfishness. It's not just that I want what you have, but I want more of it -- more than I could possibly ever utilize -- and I don't want you to have any of it! In fact, I want so much of it that you'll have to come begging to me for a few crumbs that I may or may not decide to part with. If I am feeling a bit magnanimous, I'll let you have a little, but it's going to cost you!
Abuse is centered squarely on selfishness. I want you to do things MY way. I don't care if my way isn't the best way or a way that works for you because it's my way or the highway. But don't even think about really taking the highway because my way includes you acquiescing to it. If you don't, then I'm going to have to hit or scream at you.
Being dishonest is a form of selfishness too. I want what I want, but if I tell you what it is, you might disagree or tell me I can't have it. So, by lying to you, I get to have my cake and eat it too and you will be none the wiser.
American individualism has become the high watermark of selfishness. Screw what might be best for the community -- I WANT WHAT I WANT WHEN AND HOW I WANT IT AND IT'S MY GOD-GIVEN RIGHT, DAMMIT!!!
You know, selfishness wouldn't be such a bad attitude if more people saw the unity of all things. If we better understood the inherent connections, then being selfish would simply mean caring and embracing everything for the betterment of all.
Unfortunately, it is our belief in separation that makes selfishness so vile and ubiquitous. Even worse, selfishness becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: The more we behave selfishly, the more we feel separated and the more separated we feel, the more selfishly we behave.
When we get right down to it, selfishness is the cause of most wars. Your country has something our country wants. That something might be freedom, power, wealth, natural resources or geography. Give it to us or we'll blow you to smithereens!
Greed is the epitome of selfishness. It's not just that I want what you have, but I want more of it -- more than I could possibly ever utilize -- and I don't want you to have any of it! In fact, I want so much of it that you'll have to come begging to me for a few crumbs that I may or may not decide to part with. If I am feeling a bit magnanimous, I'll let you have a little, but it's going to cost you!
Abuse is centered squarely on selfishness. I want you to do things MY way. I don't care if my way isn't the best way or a way that works for you because it's my way or the highway. But don't even think about really taking the highway because my way includes you acquiescing to it. If you don't, then I'm going to have to hit or scream at you.
Being dishonest is a form of selfishness too. I want what I want, but if I tell you what it is, you might disagree or tell me I can't have it. So, by lying to you, I get to have my cake and eat it too and you will be none the wiser.
American individualism has become the high watermark of selfishness. Screw what might be best for the community -- I WANT WHAT I WANT WHEN AND HOW I WANT IT AND IT'S MY GOD-GIVEN RIGHT, DAMMIT!!!
You know, selfishness wouldn't be such a bad attitude if more people saw the unity of all things. If we better understood the inherent connections, then being selfish would simply mean caring and embracing everything for the betterment of all.
Unfortunately, it is our belief in separation that makes selfishness so vile and ubiquitous. Even worse, selfishness becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: The more we behave selfishly, the more we feel separated and the more separated we feel, the more selfishly we behave.
Yes, I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteIt's as if they were saying Screw those without health insurance. I have insurance and that's all I care about.
That's the huge difference between the USA and Canada & Western Europe, where people actually give a damn about the downtrodden and powerless.
I have to concur with lorena. Viewing the world through the ego filter is a problem we all have to overcome, but america has taken it to the extreme and this healthcare debate is really magnifying the problem.
ReplyDeleteWhat i find most ironic (i live in the south) is observing that christians seem to exhibit this behavior the most, or at least down here. They will stand around and gossip and complain that they don't want to pay for anyone else's healthcare, my money is mine, etc. This is the antithesis of what their christ taught. Bizarre.