Selfishness / Selfsug

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“Selfishness: Lacking consideration for the selfishness of others.”

Ambrose Bierce

At first, a word of welcome to Tania, the newest follower of my blog. It is my hope that these little titbits of insights will make you rethink the world, as it is, and how you fit into it.

Well, to get to today’s topic, which is selfishness. Bierce, in the quote above, defined selfishness in that manner in his, “The Devil's Dictionary.” I was thinking about this, and maybe he was right, especially when we consider that we find ourselves in an age riddled with selfish people. If we consider people at any periods of their lives, then we will always find them preoccupied with fresh plans to increase their comfort. Indeed, we all want to increase our levels of comfort, but to what extent do we do that without considering others? Is the interests and rights of humanity, not predominantly driven by self-interest? In our pursuit for self-realization, we surely tend to place our well-being above that of others, but we need to learn how to be selfish in moderate quantities, not to let it overpower our lives. Yes, it is not wrong to be selfish, we all are, but it is important that our selfishness should know its boundaries. There are billions of people who share this planet with you, so let us not be tactless when it comes to our selfishness. Lao-Tzu, the great Chinese thinker, asked that we should embrace simplicity, reduce our selfishness and strive to have fewer desires. It is my hope that we will all, in principle, love ourselves but also love those around us, and that we will practice sanity when it comes to when and to which extent we want to practice selfishness.

He who binds to himself a joy
Doth the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in Eternity's sunrise.

William Blake

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“Selfsugtigheid: ‘n Gebrek aan die in ag neming van andere se selfsug.”

Ambrose Bierce

Laat ek begin deur vir Tania, ons nuutste navolger, hartlik welkom te heet by ons webdagboek. Ek hoop dat die brokkies besprekings hier, die nodige stof tot nadenke sal verskaf om die wêreld te bedink soos dit tans daarna uitsien, maar ook hoe jy jouself binne hierdie wêreld inpas en oriënteer.

Om terug te kom by vandag se onderwerp, naamlik selfsug. In die aanhaling hierbo kan ons sien hoe Bierce selfsug omskryf in sy “The Devil's Dictionary”. Dit het my laat nadink oor die konsep selfsug, en ek dink dat hy dalk reg is, veral as ons in ag neem dat ons onsself vandag bevind in ‘n era wat bestrooi is met selfsugtige mense. Te maklik dink ons dat selfsug iets slegs is, maar kom ons erken dit nou maar vir onsself, dit is nie. As ons mense, in enige era van die mens se bestaan in oorweeging neem, sal ons merk dat hulle predominant hulself besig gehou het met nuwe planne om hul lewensgemak te laat toeneem. Moet nie vir my sê jy wil nie dieselfde hê nie! Natuurlik wil jy ook meer gemaklik leef, en daar is niks verkeerd daarmee nie, MAAR, in jou strewe na gemak, tot watter mate stoomroller jy, in ‘n staat van selfsug, oor andere? In ons strewe na selfbelang en selfverwesenliking, is ons soms geneigd om ons eie belange bo die van andere te plaas. Ons moet egter leer, in ons staat van selfsug, om gematigd te wees in die mate waartoe ons selfsugtig is. Ons moet vasskop daarteen om toe te laat dat selfsug handuit ruk en ons lewens oorheers. Weereens, daar is niks fout met gesonde mates van selfsug nie, solank dit net sy/haar grense ken.

Net so terloops, dit is nie net jy op hierdie planeet nie, daar is bykans agt biljoen mense met wie jy skouers skuur, hetsy direk of indirek. Laat ons derhalwe nie taktloos wees in die beoefening van ons gesonde selfsug nie. Lao-Tzu, die groot Sjinese denker, vra dat ons eenvoudigheid sal omhels, dat ons selfsug sal laat afneem, en dat ons sal strewe na minder begeertes. Sien, “afneem”, nie uitskakel nie. Ek hoop dat ons almal in beginsel onsself sal liefhê, asook diegene om ons, en dat ons die gesonde verstand sal hê om te weet wanneer en tot watter mate ons selfsug sal toepas.

Plaas jou soms eerste in lyn,
ten spyte van ander;
Sny net hierdie lyn fyn,
anders kan dinge in chaos verander.