From a young age, across cultures,
and generations
one is made to believe that
self-centred pursuits are inherently greedy or unkind.
Acting selfishly has been condemned profoundly in our society –
almost a moral sin.
Yet, history tells a different story.
Some left their homes,
defied their families, their tradition, their legacy
to accomplish remarkable feats in the realms of humanity,
art, business, or science.
Were they Selfish?
Was Prince Siddhartha selfish
when he walked away from his palace
to become the great Buddha?
Were all the great Yogis, mystics, inventors, freedom fighters to likes of Gandhi,
or a missionary like Mother Teresa and many others in any way selfish
in pursuing what they believed in,
even when it meant renouncing comfort, family, or approval?
Why then,
is doing what one wants and live how he chooses,
considered selfish?
Whether in his daily choices,
or his grand ambitions.
Why does pursuing one’s passion
attract resistance, judgment, or control?
especially when it harms no one.
My friend – parents, family, social structure and
friends are attached to us in certain way.
Pursuing a way of life that challenges their expectations,
beliefs, and view of society at large,
is often labelled as selfish act.
They act from the stand point of their own
attachments and needs,
while other acts from his.
Will share a harsh truth but it’s not for the faint hearted dear one –
In relationships, in families, or in careers,
most often believe,
that their actions are out of care for others.
A person claiming to be unselfish in relationships
is merely unaware – of the unknown,
the subtle need and attachments driving those actions.
Simply put, human mind –
Resists acknowledging that the self is inherently selfish.
If selfishness carried no guilt,
most people would be very comfortable
accepting their nature
and move on with in their lives with ease.
Can read that again.
The mind,
ever hungry for guilt free state,
seeks refuge in illusion –
to validate an altruistic, selflessness image.
Common is – Acts of charity often become the silent means to overcome it.
Even in prayers, many deny having asked God for anything,
claiming they only express gratitude.
This is simply amusing and – being naive.
My friend truth is,
all human beings operate from the centre of SELF.
There is no happiness, anger, suffering, jealousy,
or even great pursuits filled with ambition,
without the self at the centre.
Anyone who claims to be selfless
has simply lived an unexamined life
and is just as selfish.
Some rare individuals act for humanity’s larger good,
some for their own needs and desires.
But both act from the same source—the Self.
To truly understand this fact,
is to uncover profound truths.
One begins to see fellow humans and their actions
without judgment of good or bad,
moral, or immoral, but simply as they are.
Being selfish and being evil are not the same.
Do not get my words wrong,
few actions are purely out of love and genuine care for others.
Living with attachment to the belief that
one acts solely for others happiness
is the real delusion.
Understanding of this can possibly open the door
to a life
of less judgement and far less inner conflicts.
A more equitably life.
Simple truth as i have known is –
A man who pursues a life that demands making choices
outside society’s prescriptions and dogmas,
will inevitably invite resistance, control
and internal guilt.
If such pursuit causes no harm or
seeks to change others –
is Not a selfish way of living but
living as per nature’s will my friend.
Sathya