Wednesday, June 07, 2006
I believe in Selfishness
My friend,Provoked, recently wrote an article called Spirituality where he wrote on "bad" things, especially in the context of Religion, possibly being summed up in the word "selfishness." His article led him to an interesting question as well...
"Is religion bad? Or the selfishness of those who adhere to said religion?"
I believe that leads us to more questions... Are most religions selfish? Are they followed or chosen for merely selfish reasons? Is selfishness really "bad"?
I don't believe that selfishness in and of itself is hurtful by any means. Self-centerdness can be. It's not so much the focus on self though, but rather the non-focus on others. To not focus on yourself, you do a diservice to yourself and those around you. You must take care of your own needs in order to be truly and fully present to others. But to do so at another's expense is when it becomes hurtful, fearful, inconsiderate, or generally missing the point.
Perhaps then it's not about "good" or "bad", but rather much more personalized, about what we value and how it effects the world around us.
