Recently I've been contemplating the nature of selfishness, being protective of my time and of my energy. Being reflective of who I would like to be, what I need to do, and how I can get there.
Where I want to be, I must explain, is to be the kind person who selflessly gives back my time, money, experience and understanding. I want to teach, and I would take a guess that this quality is within all humans, we want to share our knowledge, often with the next generation. If not in a formal paid way, we do it through the development of our children. Even if not conscious, our behaviours, actions, words, are all being taught to the next generation as they observe the way we behave, and use that observation as their initial framing for their interactions with the world.
This is where I have come to recognise the distinction between being:
- selfish as a means of becoming selfless, and selfish as an end in of itself.
- selfless as a means of becoming selfish, and selfless as an end in of itself.
If we consider this conundrum in a relatable term, using the concept of money.
- Being selfish as a means of becoming selfless is akin to earning as much money as possible for several years, so you can devote your time, effort, and wealth to helping others. The idea that the more money you amass the more people you can help.
- Being selfish as an end in of itself is akin to earning as much money as possible for several years, so you can continue to amass greater wealth, so you can continue to amass greater wealth, so you can continue to amass greater wealth - the wealth isn't to be shared, but used as a means of gaining more, and using that wealth to satisfy all the hedonistic pleasures the mind can imagine for oneself.
- Being selfless as a means of becoming selfish is akin to giving your giving away a large portion of your weekly/monthly wealth in hope that it will be returned in greater amount. You give, only to receive. Similarly, those with extreme wealth donating millions to a university or hospital only to have a 'wing' named after them.
- Being selfless as an end in of itself is akin to giving away all you can afford each week without expecting in return, if you earn $100 in a week then that is what you can give, if you earn $1000 in a week then that is what you can give. The intention is to continue to give back to the world, but because you give so often, your capacity to give is always handicapped.
Another way to understand the nature of selfishness and selflessness is through an analogy of a fruit tree.
In the first example, being selfish as a means of becoming selfless, is similar to how a fruit tree works. When the tree is small, it cannot offer much fruit, so it gives more energy into the development of the branches, the strength of its trunk and the number of the leaves. So the next year it has grown enough to offer more fruit. Following this process over the course of 10 years, there has been some giving, but a lot of selfish energy focused on growth. Now the tree is able to provide for 100 times the people it could in its first few years. The Tree's telos or purpose, is about growing to give back.
In the second example, the tree has the same principle. It too cannot offer much fruit in the first years, it too focuses its energy inward on development of branches capable of holding fruit and receiving light. The difference is that this tree's fruit is poisonous, so that no one may receiveany of its nourishment, and no one can seek shelter under its canopy as the bark and leaves are poisonous. The Tree's telos or purpose, is only about growth for the sake of greater growth.
In the third example, the plant never grows large, it gives its energy into the development of fruit early on in its cycle. Many people take from the tree, and because of this the seeds are spread. The Tree's telos or purpose is to give, so that the tree will continue to live on.
In the fourth example, the tree never grows large, it doesn't invest energy into developing its branches, nor into the growth of new leaves, it focuses predominantly each year on giving fruit, not concerned with the seed, but producing fruit to share and give. The tree's telos or purpose is to give what it can when it can. Because of this, the tree never develops, never increases the amount of fruit it will produce, and is consistent each year with its limited offering, not able to stand tall and provide shade and support as with the first tree.
These examples seem to be the potential mindsets of humanity, there maybe more, but following the motivation of selfishness and selflessness it becomes evident that being selfish for the intent of becoming selfless has the greatest benefit for humanity as a whole.
Capitalism seems to create the second kind of tree, where we are accruing wealth and knowledge only for the sake of further wealth and knowledge.
For society to continue to grow and prosper, we as individuals need to grow ourselves such that we can increasingly give back to our communities. The greater we grow in terms of knowledge, skills, experience, wealth, the more expansive the scope of our generosity can become.
