Spring Break
Selfishness prevails
Tracey Apperson
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 2 next >
How selfish do you think you are? Most of us would answer that laughingly, owning up to our selfishness, while still thinking silently that we're not that bad. After all, there are much worse people out there, right?
Well, maybe. Or maybe those "worse" people have just been given more freedom to exercise their selfishness. Perhaps we all have the potential to be that self-centered.
Selfishness is defined as being "devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others."
When we think of selfishness, we tend to focus especially on the first part of that definition. We idealize a selfish person as being one who cares only for himself or herself to the exclusion of all others, and we think of that person rather negatively. No one desires to be labeled selfish.
But selfishness can be extended to describe more than just those who are blatantly self-centered. I want to focus on the second part of that definition, the part that says selfishness is being "concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others." By that definition, we're all selfish.
Think about it. What do our lives, especially in America, center around? Our own comfort. Our own well-being. Our own amusements and pleasure. We are a selfish people.
We need to expand our idea of selfishness to include more than just self-absorbed people. There is a difference. You can be selfish and not self-absorbed, although the two are often partnered.
Think about your normal day and how you spend it. What do you do all day? What motivates those actions?
I have evaluated my day and found that most of it is spent pursuing things that please me. The things I choose to do, the ways I spend my money and free time - just about every decision that I make is made based solely on what I would like to do. I would imagine that most of you are the same.
Is there anything wrong with this? No, not at the basic level. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with choosing to purchase things you like or to do things that you like to do.
Well, maybe. Or maybe those "worse" people have just been given more freedom to exercise their selfishness. Perhaps we all have the potential to be that self-centered.
Selfishness is defined as being "devoted to or caring only for oneself; concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others."
When we think of selfishness, we tend to focus especially on the first part of that definition. We idealize a selfish person as being one who cares only for himself or herself to the exclusion of all others, and we think of that person rather negatively. No one desires to be labeled selfish.
But selfishness can be extended to describe more than just those who are blatantly self-centered. I want to focus on the second part of that definition, the part that says selfishness is being "concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits, welfare, etc., regardless of others." By that definition, we're all selfish.
Think about it. What do our lives, especially in America, center around? Our own comfort. Our own well-being. Our own amusements and pleasure. We are a selfish people.
We need to expand our idea of selfishness to include more than just self-absorbed people. There is a difference. You can be selfish and not self-absorbed, although the two are often partnered.
Think about your normal day and how you spend it. What do you do all day? What motivates those actions?
I have evaluated my day and found that most of it is spent pursuing things that please me. The things I choose to do, the ways I spend my money and free time - just about every decision that I make is made based solely on what I would like to do. I would imagine that most of you are the same.
Is there anything wrong with this? No, not at the basic level. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with choosing to purchase things you like or to do things that you like to do.
Be the first to comment on this story