FREE ESSAY ON SELFISHNESS

SELFISHNESS

Most of us assume that selfishness is both wrong and unhealthy. But is this true?
Selfishness means acting in one's rational self-interest. Contrary to popular opinion,
all healthy individuals are selfish. Choosing to pursue the career of your choice is
selfish. Choosing to have children—or not to have children—is selfish.
Insisting on freedom and individual rights, rather than living under a dictatorship, is
selfish. Indeed, even ordinary behaviors such as breathing, eating and avoiding an
oncoming car when crossing the street are selfish acts. Without selfishness, none o f us
would survive the day—much less a lifetime.
Selfishness does not mean self-destructive behavior. In other words, a car thief is not
selfish. He has to run from the law constantly, something most car owners never have to
do. Even if he escapes the law, he will not experience as much pleasure from possessing
the car as would an honest person.
Lying to your spouse, or any loved one, is not selfish. The psychological stress of
trying to live the lie of an extramarital affair—or any major secret—is
enormous. A selfish person understands that honesty is the best policy and the least
painful, in the long run.
The opposite of selfishness is self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice means giving up a greater
value for a lesser value. Consider the example of a battered wife, who is married to an
alcoholic husband who refuses to seek help. She stays with him for reasons o f security
and family stability. Yet in the process she sacrifices her self-esteem and physical
safety (greater values) to the irrational whims of her husband (lesser values).
Consider the example of the hard-working student who allows a friend to copy his answers
on an examination. The student is sacrificing both his integrity and his efforts (greater
values) to the laziness and low self-esteem of his friend (le sser values).
Or, consider the envious individual who tries to get you to feel guilty for your
hard-earned success. You are lucky to have done so well, the envious person says. Now you
have a duty to share some of your success with others. Ce rtainly, a selfish person wants
to share his success with those he genuinely cares about—his family, friends, or
children (greater values). But why should he make sacrifices to individuals he does not
know or care about (lesser values)?
Selfish individuals give to charity—if and when they choose. A selfish person is
not stingy. He simply values the use of his own judgment in making decisions about how to
spend his money, and when to give it away.
Most of us assume that some selfishness is healthy, but too much selfishness will lead to
loneliness and despair. This idea rests on an incorrect definition of selfishness.
Selfishness means acting in one's rational self-interest. By  rational I mean that one
can logically prove that an action is in one's self-interest—in the long run as
well as the short run.
For instance, Mr. Jones might think that it is in his self-interest to cheat on his wife,
in the short run. But if he considers the long-term, he will understand that he loses her
either way by lying to her. If he really loves his wife, he will feel te rrible if he
lies to her. If he no longer loves his wife, it is senseless to continue living with her
and conducting an affair in secret. A selfish individual does not like to lie, because he
sees that it does not bring him long-term happiness.
Most of us assume that we cannot be both selfish and kind to others. This is simply not
true. If a mother loves her son, it makes her happy to give up some of her money to buy
him a bicycle. It is not a sacrifice—it is a supremely selfish act. Bot h mother
and son benefit.
Similarly, the owner of a popular restaurant is not dutifully serving the public. He
provides good food and a nice atmosphere so that he can make a profit and beat the
competition. Both owner and diners benefit.
A physician does not provide quality treatment for altruistic reasons. He provides it
because he is financially and emotionally rewarded for being competent and caring.
Otherwise, he quite appropriately loses his patients. Both patient and doctor benef it
from selfishness.
In a rational society, selfishness is encouraged. A rational society is one where
individuals are left free to pursue their self-interest. In the process, everyone
benefits.
Rational selfishness means acting in your self-interest—and accepting
responsibility for determining what truly serves your long-term interest. It is a nice
alternative to a life filled with duty, drudgery and disillusionment.
We live in a world which does not even recognize the option of rational selfishness. We
are taught, from childhood, that we must be either self-sacrificing or thoughtlessly
selfish.
I maintain that this is a false alternative. Rational selfishness, if practiced
consistently, is the means of living both a moral and psychologically healthy life. If
you choose to recognize this alternative, such a life can be yours.