Is it selfish?

[Mike Rotch]

My department went on a cultural tour of the Indian part of Johannesburg yesterday. Part of the tour was to a really, really run down, delapidated surburban area. Seeing all the jobless, destitute and hopeless people just sitting on the roads curb got me thinking - I hope the mere fact I'm thinking this isnt paradoxically selfish.

Lets face it. All of us using this forum are privilaged. We have a home over our heads (I assume), we have been educated and have access to technology. Is it then selfish if we are unhappy with the current luxuries/privilages under our keep - and desire a better state of life? In other words, is ambition myopic, given that people in other places dont have an iota of what we have?

I first thought yes it was selfish, but then I thought, hold one a minute, why must I compromise my ambitions because of others?

 

[Sleek Stratos]

Give one of those homeless people a not so luxurious home, they'll take it since it's better than nothing. Soon enough they'll complain about it being a hell-hole and they'll want a better one.
Give a nice cozy home to that same person and they'll shut up, then the whole process will begin again, they'll b*tch about whatever could be wrong with it and want something better.

That's how precocious we human beings are. Nothing will ever be good enough.
I got family, a place to sleep in, food, PC etc. yet I can still think of somethings I could definitely use.

 

[Solid Fro]

Survival of the fittest.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

The philosopher Seneca once said "If you would make a man happy, do not add to his possessions, but subtract from the sum of his desires."

I think that people operate at different levels. I used to find it incredible that people would not try to better themselves. Now I realise that people perform a subconscious risk/benefit analysis of pretty much everything, and so a lot of people are happy to be where they are. Or at least not sufficiently unhappy to do anything about it.

This probably does not apply to the people who are destitute, but it does mean that you should not feel bad about wanting to better yourself, even though you are already leagues ahead of the destitute.

 

[Small_Fryz]

i agree

 

[Duke]

If people at all levels of achievement did not have an inherent desire to do better and earn better, we'd all, as a civilization, be living just like those destitute people you saw.

So yes, it's selfish; but stop saying it like that's a bad thing.

 

[milefile]

Most people my age are very complacent. In fact, this is one way to roughly guage ages. I, however, am very restless. Nothing is ever good enough. There is something wrong with everything and I find fault with everything, especially myself. If things do not get palpably better over time, I do not change and improve, and continue in this growth, then life is characterized by slow degeneration. There is no such thing as "contentedness" or "preservation"; they both equal degeneration. Being is becoming. I can't understand people who who do not at least have some kind of pet project they work on, some goal they are working to achieve. People who just sit on curbs and wallow in degeneracy (or people who sit on couches and wallow in cathode rays) baffle me. The few times I've been unfortunate enough to interact with the type I felt like I was a different species.

One thing that is key is boundless faith and optimism. Without these things nobody would ever bother doing anything. Life will knock you down, and then kick you in the nuts and spit in your face. You get a second to cry about it and then it's time to set a goal, get off your ass, and work for it. For me, nothing else is satisfying. This occurrs on various levels from beating your best time on Deep Forest to getting a new career.

Life is harder for those that try and keep trying; in spite of their successes, they suffer more because through their effort and optimism, have become more vulnerable to failure and disappointment than anyone else.

I believe more and more as evidence continues ot reveal itself to me, that there are different kinds of people in this world, and some are simply better than others.

No you're not selfish. Your life justifies itself and is it's own supreme reason.

 

[hanker]

I wouldn't say its selfish, if you've worked for what you have, some people work their butt of just to have what they have, others would rather sit around doing nothing, if all you want to do is sit around doing nothing then i say, go ahead go live on a curb your whole life, you are no use to society anyways. (maybe a bit harsh but somewhat true)

 

[Sage]

I agree fully with Duke - Don't use the word "selfish" in a negative connotation, because it shouldn't be. People have to be naturally selfish to get anything done... Joe wants money (selfish, right?), so he gets a job, and becomes a productive member of society. Then Joe wants to buy electronic goodies and a nice car, so he spends that money, which goes to the people who made the electronic goodies and nice cars (out of their selfish act of wanting money). Joe now has less money, so he continues working to get more money, because he's selfish. And so on and so forth.

Your thoughts are totally and completely natural and in fact good for both you and society.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Thanks guys

Listening to reason has laid to rest my disquiet. Selfish is not selfish. It is just motivation to attain success.

 

[Sage]

Originally posted by Mike Rotch
Thanks guys

Listening to reason has laid to rest my disquiet. Selfish is not selfish. It is just motivation to attain success.

👍 (Except for the stuff in red... you do know Aristotle's thingie of A=A, right? )

 

[Mike Rotch]

Originally posted by Sage
👍 (Except for the stuff in red... you do know Aristotle's thingie of A=A, right? )

Why? The following logic checks out, doesnt it?

A knife is a kitchen utensil.
A fork is a kitchen utensil.
Therefore a knife is a fork