Comments on: We Need to Be Selfish

By: Andrea Prizeman

Andrea Prizeman — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:39:57 +0000

Thanks for commenting Vincent! I was hoping you would

By: Vincent

Vincent — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:33:31 +0000

I wish I was selfish. It’s definitely hard having to give all the time. You are so right Andrea!

By: Dean Shareski

Dean Shareski — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:17:12 +0000

About a year ago, I wrote this:

http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/01/how-selfish-are-you/

By: Andrea Prizeman

Andrea Prizeman — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:37:38 +0000

@Jocelyn Please don’t take my post the wrong way. In no way am I saying that we shouldn’t give to people (hence give and take). Take specifically the last paragraph for example:
“Not selfish to the point of hoarding everything and keeping everything for ourselves. We all need to live as a give AND take community. If someone wants to offer us something, we can’t just simply take and never give anything back.”

I think you are looking at selfish as a completly negative term. In this instance selfish is not a negative term. Instead, selfish is an uplifting, soul-saving term; because there are people (like myself… and I will gladly give you examples in a less ‘open’ setting), who give much more of themselves then is actually possible (hence the story). These people then have difficulties coping with their own issues and there is (more often than not) no one to give back to them.

Those people who give unconditionally are usually the ones that no one thinks to offer anything back to.

By: jocelynskogberg

jocelynskogberg — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:18:01 +0000

I see your point about not giving everything away but I have to say I still think that by giving away a part of us it helps us grow. Firstly, if we all started being totally selfish there would be no one to help cheer up the child in your story who fell of their bike. To relate that to everyday life, we all are grateful when a friend brings over icecream without hesitation after you have had a bad day. I think it is important to ballance the two. you need to watch that you don’t end up giving away all that you have so that you are emotionally drained, but without people giving unconditonally then the world would be a very lonely place.

By: amerrit

amerrit — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:24:26 +0000

You make a really good point. If you always give of yourself what is left for you in the end? And if eventually you give everything away then eventually you will have nothing ot give away anyways. You candy example was really good. This is definately something I’ve been thinking about lately and I’m glad I’m not the only one who sees the importance of this. Although being selfish for us givers seems to be harder said than done, which defiantely says something about our society and what we’ve been taught.