I also often forget that not everyone has seen my "Everyone is selfish, selfishness is a neutral trait that all sapient actions are driven by" take, so here is your reminder that this is the basis of my understanding of life. All people are selfish. This is not a bad thing. Cruelty is selfish. Kindness, too, is selfish. I am kind to you because it benefits me to be. This is the case for everyone. This is not a bad thing. It is good. Selfishness, like all things, is medicine in moderation and poison in excess. Thank you.
I would like to clarify also that "selfish", "self-centred", "self-driven" and "self-aggrandizing" are all different things. Self-aggrandizing is not a good thing. Self-driven often is. Self-centred... Is a little more nuanced, but is often not good. Selfish is just how everyone is.
.) I think that's, like, an interesting was tQ lQQk at it! And technically cQrrect, thQugh, like, usually 'selfish' has negative cQnnQtatiQns, which is why it might be a pretty hard sell tQ say that kindness is selfish. And, like, nQt everyQne is thinking they're acting kind purely tQ benefit themselves. There's definitely benefits! But sQmetimes we act kind just because it feels, like, the right thing tQ dQ, Qr kindness is what the Qther persQn needs right nQw? But, like, I dunnQ, I'm just kinda rambling here haha ^^ ))
I agree with you. I do not think that most people believe their acts to be selfish, nor do I expect everyone to agree with my take. But I do believe that, under all else, selfishness is the motivator. Let's take, for example, my friend Ormici. Ormici is ceaselessly kind to others, and actively seeks out opportunities to do so. I do not think that they consider themselves to be selfish. They can, in fact, put themselves at great risk thanks to this. Often. One might think that this is not selfish. They are actively risking themselves in order to help others. Selfless, yes? That's the thing. "Selflessness" is selfish. Giving more than you have is a form of selfishness. You are ignoring the warnings of those who care in order to dig from a dry well in search of more water. To the people who ask you to stop and tell you to rest, you are, selfishly, going against their words, and ignoring the worry they have for you in order to do whatever you want to do, even if it is something that many would consider "selfless". This is selfishness. To obey others too much is selfish- You are giving them power over you so that you do not have to make decisions. To disobey too much is selfish- You are fighting against all advice, good or bad, for your own means. To be too cruel is selfish- You are harming others without caring what they think. To be too kind is selfish- You are giving of yourself without taking full account of the needs and desires of those around you. This is not a bad thing. This is just how it is. That's my opinion, at least. i very much appreciate you sharing yours, thank you.
.) Hmm, nQ, I get what yQu mean, and I agree! There's, like, a balance tQ find, and yQu gQtta be kind tQ yQurself just like yQu're kind tQ Qthers. I always think that, like, yQu need tQ pick yQur battles and be realistic with hQw yQu can help peQple, because sQmetimes all yQu really can dQ withQut, like, putting yQurself in danger, is tQ just say sQme encQuraging wQrds and Qffer suppQrt afterwards! )) .) Cuz, yeah, there's a pQint where being tQQ selfless can becQme selfish, when yQur actiQns start harming yQurself and causing cQncern fQr Qthers, and that's sQmething I wQrry abQut when I see Qthers dQ that tQQ! Like, apprQaching burnQut levels. I guess cuz, like, yQu just said kindness is selfish at first, is when I think there's, like, mQre nuance? )) .) But, yeah! It's fun thinking abQut this kinda stuff, and chatting abQut views with Qthers! ))
Yes, very much agreed. If it helps make things make more sense, I believe that selfishness is a driving force, yes, but it is most certainly not the only one. Love, Hope, Hatred, Emotion, Impulse, Pain, and many many other things also provide push and pull on our decisions. It is fun to discuss, yes. Thank you for interacting, I do appreciate it.
.) Qh, yeah! I agree with that tQQ! There's definitely, like, a lQt Qf emQtiQns that affect Qur actiQns. And nQ wQrries!! :) ))