People tend to give the minimum effort always. We look for our own interests and act in the way it's most convenient. We try to brake the rules (rather than debate them in a civilized way), impose ourselves before others, let others take the blame for our actions, "streetwise-ness", etc. You feel good when you get away with it.
You must always be one step ahead. You must always protect yourself, since they wouldn't care whatever happens to you. Unfairness, bullying, crime, etc., they are all manifestations of the same thing. It's funny how people criticize politicians, and yet they act the same sneaky way in their everyday life.
Egoism is often understood to be a consequence of our finitude. Since life is short, we want to have as many things as possible while we're alive. Therefore, it can't be helped. No one is saying egoism is bad or good, it simply is. Your actions (even the altruistic ones) somehow benefit yourself, otherwise you wouldn't be doing them.
The truth is, if people don't care about something, they'll never put any effort in it. What an individual considers important can only be decided by the individual himself. So, what should you do? On one hand, you should only care for yourself. On the other hand, you can't live alone; thus, you must understand what people close to you consider important and work based on that. Or, you can just continue not giving a shit, since that's what everyone always does.
Selfishness from others entice selfishness from you. From personal experience, i can say that the only way to make others care, is to give first. Sad but true. Most of the time is like that, not 100%, but a lot of the time it is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with GM, I care a lot about people, and a lot of people don't care about me, but I also don't care about a lot of people. It is also what you said as well, that what we care about is up to us, there are people who care easier than others. Rather than be incredibly egotistic and be remembered by all as a jackass, I'd rather be a nice guy who is remembered favourably. Still, only the good die young. We tend to remember the assholes more than we remember the people who stopped them.
ReplyDeleteI have observed this in so many people throughout my walk in this life that I thought I was going insane. My personality type is INFJ which is really rare and one of the most self less of the personality types. A lot of what you're talking about is a reason why reality TV is so popular.
ReplyDeleteIt's in our very nature our very flesh...
ReplyDelete+followed by starcraftdinner.blogspot.com
I've been trying to do a little service work for other people lately and noticed that I get so much more in return. crazy!
ReplyDeleteI'm an island
ReplyDeleteI did a similar thing to Electric Addict, and noticed that people warmed up to me a lot more. No surprise, really. People want to be loved, as selfish as they may be.
ReplyDeleteunfortunately when you give first people take advantage of you and do not give back
ReplyDeletePretty depressing to think that way, but I guess it is the truth.
ReplyDelete" It's funny how people criticize politicians, and yet they act the same sneaky way in their everyday life." YES!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about this a lot lately.
I kind of think the answer to living for self/greater humanity question lies ultimately in simplifying our lives and getting rid of distractions. And getting rid of money. I think just the act of buying things really messes with our psyche. We don't appreciate things that we buy, but if we make them ourselves we know what it took. As it is now, I believe we are very detached from the way things actually ARE, and it's messing up the way we care for ourselves and one another. I think humanity reached its peak a long time ago and it's only downhill from here. Although that sounds depressing, honestly I don't think it is. lol.
No man is an island, we need each other to get things done on a grand scale, and helping each other out is still as important now as it has ever been. The things you do may be ultimately self serving, but altruistic actions are still possible.
ReplyDeletei hate egoism
ReplyDeleteVery thought provoking write up, great read.
ReplyDeleteYep, unfortunate but humans will be humans
ReplyDeleteselfishness will always be fed up by the strongest instint there is, the survival instint, we think that if we get what we want we will live and survive better, and of course by saying "we" i mean "i"
ReplyDelete