We’re taught that selfishness is a bad thing. But why? There are the basic three necessities—food, clothing, shelter—that I must have in order to sustain my existence, and if I don’t exist it is impossible for me to do anything for anyone else. I am all that there is, and so selfishness transcends any subjective “moral value” as the critical key to survival. Every person’s fundamental responsibility is to provide the necessities of life for her/himself.
When we get right down to it, isn’t any ideology that argues against selfishness the truly bad thing? Any talk of putting others before ourselves is really just idealistic tripe. It sounds nice, I suppose, but it certainly doesn’t jibe with reality. Again, my personal existence is the most important thing and anything that threatens or stands in the way of it must be eliminated. The continuation of my self is my offspring, and so to selfishly provide for them (and in so doing, me) is actually a noble thing.
Any proposal of “selflessness” is arguably selfish at root. Why would I ever put the welfare of another before my own unless it was ultimately to my own personal benefit? The truth is I would not. When it is to my own good I may be motivated to promote the welfare of others, but no such motivation reasonably exists without that selfish incentive. You say you disagree? Take off your rose-colored glasses and see how the world we live in really works!
No comments:
Post a Comment