The concept of selfishness is something that we can interpret in different ways depending on our conditioning and belief system. Often selfishness is judged negatively. One of the ways we can view selfishness is as a  course of behaviour that occurs when someone is acting for their own benefit to the disadvantage of all others.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge. Photographs have been added to serve as visual breaks.

Some folks claim there are three types of selfishness… good… bad… and neutral. The differences between these varieties of selfishness supposedly is the degree to which other people also benefit from an individual’s self-serving actions.

Self-help approaches abound and instruct us on how to identify selfishness in others. There are numerous books written and suggestions given about how to protect ourselves from the selfishness of others.

There are a number of traits that are associated with selfish behaviour including being materialistic, self-promoting, having an inflated self image, not considering the consequences of one’s actions, lacking empathy for others, feeling that the world owes them something, and being absorbed in their own interests or thoughts.

On the flip side are descriptors associated with selfless behaviour. These include being generous, being concerned with the well being of others, being humble, and having empathy for others.

As we read through the descriptors in the previous two paragraphs it is easy to pass judgement on the words in each list in terms of being ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Our assessments may vary based on the perspectives we bring to our lives each day.

It is interesting to look at nature when we consider the concept of selfishness. Is it selfish for any carnivore to kill another living thing so it is able to survive and provide for its young? Is it selfish when one species of carnivore actively seeks out members of another carnivore species and kills them to lessen competition as lions do when they attack hyenas, and vice versa?

Is it selfish for birds to fight for access to the seeds in a feeder when there is an abundance of food in that feeder? Is it selfish when animals fight over access to a mate in order to procreate? Is it selfish when one animal is expelled from its nest by another?

Nature demonstrates that selfishness is an integral part of existence. It also teaches us another fundamental truth. Individuals only survive when their own selfishness has not been taken to excess.

I’ve never seen a wildlife documentary where a carnivore survived by killing other animals and eating to such excess that it grew so fat that it could no longer hunt. I’ve never seen a herbivore act with such gluttony that it grew obese and could not escape a carnivore hunting it.

Old age, the inexperience of youth, and illness, act as culling factors in nature. The only species that seems to be able to survive its own selfishness and overindulgence… at least for a time… are humans.

Why is it important to even think about selfishness? Observing and seeking to understand selfishness are critical components in our individual journeys of self-discovery. It also helps us understand the inner workings of the world around us.

Once we appreciate that selfishness is an essential part of nature we can free ourselves from the unrealistic expectation that selfish behaviour can be totally eliminated. We can then turn our efforts to observing and understanding selfishness in others. And, most importantly, in ourselves.

We exist on this spinning orb for a limited period. What happens when our time here is exhausted is subject to personal belief, rather than verifiable proof. Regardless of our personal beliefs we all face the challenge of choosing how we will behave and exist with others on a daily basis.

Selfishness is around us every moment of every day. Some things, like dogma, are by definition selfish. Expecting people to slavishly follow a set of pre-determined tenets without question is completely self-serving. It keeps people captive.

This is further exacerbated when the dogma is then used to take away human rights, restrict freedom of thought, or force beliefs and actions upon others who do not adhere to the dogma.

Of course almost any belief can be deemed selfish at least to some  degree, depending on how that belief affects an individual’s behaviours and impacts the lives of other people around them.

Gravity is not a belief. It is a universal truth. We can prove it to ourselves by dropping an object, or in an extreme case… jumping off a building. Recognizing… then avoiding dogma… are critical first steps to rid ourselves of an ongoing source of potential selfishness… and enhance our journeys of self-discovery.

It is fascinating to observe how an act of generosity… something almost always viewed as a selfless act… can be transformed into a selfish one if recognition of one’s generosity is expected or sought. Seeking recognition for an action is self-serving and thus negates the generous act.

Like other people around me, I am challenged every day to suspend judgement when I observe selfishness around me. It is so easy for me to think “Look at what that ^%$(&@# just did!” This is especially easy to do when watching the evening news. It is infinitely harder for me to observe a selfish behaviour and then make the effort to try to understand it, rather than simply pass judgement on it.

By far, my biggest challenge every day is to observe my own selfishness. Sometimes we learn that we are not what we appear to be… even to ourselves.

It can be difficult for me not get stuck in an emotional loop of self-justification. Or beat myself up incessantly for my behaviour. To grow as a human being, and to learn the truth about myself, I need to examine my selfishness in the moment. And, accept responsibility for it. I can then assess my transgression… and determine what corrective action I need to take.

To understand our own selfishness… and that in others… is to understand an integral element of life.

 Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. Images were produced from RAW files using my standard process. This is the 1,318 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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