Altruism vs. Selfishness: What do you value more in life?
I was inspired to write this article by an ongoing discussion at GutFeel.com. I would specifically like to draw your attention to the post where dsha accuses garcons of being selfish. Garcons aptly replies that he is just being honest and being a little selfish is the key to success.
Altruism is the opposite of selfishness and as humans we have this specific capability to think beyond ourselves, to take care of our kith and kin and to serve humanity in general. India would not have been a free country but for the efforts of the likes of Mahatma Gandhi. How many NGO's are there in the society which work on the same premise. Our society also respects and values the acts of unselfish behavior and deems them as morally correct. In fact, since childhood we are being conditioned by our parents and teachers to think about others first even when we might have to sacrifice our own happiness. But the question which I would like to raise here is that 'Is selfishness morally incorrect'?
To answer this question correctly, let's define what do we exactly mean by selfishness in the present context. Here we are talking of keeping the self above others, taking care of ones health, desires, and dreams, maintaining a healthy self-esteem not hurting others in the process. Lets not confuse selfishness with crimes like cheating, murder or other extreme cases.
Altruism in humans often results from both economic and biological needs. Thus cooperation and interdependence is considered necessary in a social context. Man is a social being, but can he contribute to the society if he himself is not self-sufficient and happy?
Let us consider an example to elaborate the context. Whenever you travel on an airplane, do listen intently to the safety instructions by the crew before the flight takes off. They insist that in case of emergency you put your own mask first even before proceeding to help a child. That does sound very selfish...but the logic is that you can't help anyone else until you are yourself fully equipped. Similar is the case with relationships. You have to love yourself in order to be mature enough to love the other person.
Thus, from this perspective, my gutfeel is that it is not morally demeaning to be selfish. One has to exercise his/her free will and make choices that suit his/her needs. I might be sounding like a devil's advocate but this is what I feel.
What is your gutfeel? Click here to read the views of GutFeel members and to express your own thoughts on the issue. |
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