Selfish

Have you ever done something purely for yourself with no regard for anyone else? Do you feel guilty about it?

I do, sometimes.

I am not talking about doing something that hurts someone else, or invades someone's autonomy, but something that you do that, eventhough it affects other people peripherally, is still very selfish. I find it hard to justify sometimes.

Why?

Not sure really. I tend to empathize well and I give other's points of view more credence than I should. But it is not a bad thing to think of other's well-being first is it? It probably is, because it is the self that should be thought of first and other's second, but that's the rub isn't it?

You have to think of yourself first if you want to survive, but you also have to consider others if you consider yourself part of a community. Otherwise, you hurt others and lose your community. But if you never consider yourself first, you lose yourself and your individuality.

Isn't being human grand?

Needless to say, the line between self and community is fine, but is not impossible. You just keep score. One for me, one for everyone else. Two for me, one, two for them. Heh.

I guess what I am really trying to get at is be selfish insofar as your survival is not an issue, but be selfless when your selfishness would harm others without harming yourself.

Fine line indeed.