Thinking Out Loud, Volume CDXLVIII

Two words. Both extremely powerful. They sound so much alike, yet their meanings are exact opposites. They describe character traits. One is prevalent, and the other is rare. One of them is the root of the majority of the world's problems, while the other, if practiced, would solve all those problems. Two words: Selfishness and Selflessness. Selfishness: Putting my needs and desires ahead of the needs and desires of others Selflessness: Putting the needs and desires of others ahead of my own Name a sin and see if you can determine where it came from. Chances are, selfishness is the source. I'll name a few of them, and I have no doubt, if you give it just a little thought, you can name just as many more. Greed. Jealousy. Theft. Bad attitude. Conceit. Envy. Strife. Lies. Coveting. Cheating. Gluttony. Murder. Disobedience. Road rage. Anger. Even adultery. All those and many more can be traced back to one word: Selfishness. Why do people try to break up in line? Why do we have aggressive drivers? Why do we constantly try to get something for nothing? Why do we get mad when things don't go our way? It all goes back to an "it's all about me" attitude, which is the main trait of a selfish person. Where is the honor in selfishness? Have you ever heard a politician campaign on his selfishness? How many parents have you ever heard telling their kids they need to become more selfish? Have you ever heard a eulogy where the minister praised the deceased for his selfishness? I HAVE heard people praised for their "selflessness." As a matter of fact, I don't recall ever hearing anyone commenting on someone else's selflessness in a derogatory manner. Selflessness is a trait we always admire in someone else, yet too often we don't want to practice it in our own lives. Between the selfish man and the selfless man, which one: *Is easiest to get along with? *Has the most friends? *Sleeps better at night? *Has the purest motives? *Feels better about himself? *Is overall a happier person? *Has the brightest future? The answers are obvious, so why do we have such a hard time becoming selfless individuals? Maybe our culture teaches us to be selfish. Maybe we don't trust the facts I just mentioned to work in our lives. Whatever the reason, selfishness will destroy our society, but selflessness will heal it. The selfless man has an "it's not about me" attitude, but when I practice selflessness, who benefits most? Me. That's reason enough to become a selfless man, isn't it? Or would that be selfish? Preston