Selfish - September 22, 2209

Selfish: arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others selfish act>

Now this is the definition of Selfish according to Mirriam-Webster. This being said, I disagree with the or portion. Selfish technically is more arising from concern with one's own welfare. The advantage in disregard of others could arise from trying to satisfy one's selfish needs in the way one goes about it. I was hungry at lunch, I ate food, that was a selfish act as it was concerned with my own welfare. Did I eat in disregard of other's? You got it, no. Now I know you could say, there are starving children in Africa, yes there are. Does it make me a horrible person that I ate lunch? No. Would someone in Africa have eaten my perogies given the chance? Probably yes, but that still doesn't make me a bad person eating food in disregard of other's.

Back to the word selfish. It has become in modern society a word that has moral and ethical implications when in fact, it really isn't a moral issue at all. Humans and animals (hell I imagine all living creatures) look out for themselves, it is called survival. Even flowers will push past each other to get to the sun first. I saw it in Spain everyday, and it actually made the world a more beautiful place, seeing the flowers blooming everywhere and up high.

It is in how you go about surviving if you will, that adds the moral aspect to the word. Looking out for yourself should not be considered a bad thing. One needs to take care of number one. If everyone spent all their time making sure each other was ok and not themselves, the world would fall apart.

One last question then? If one does a good deed for someone and it makes them feel good, does that then make that person selfish and looking out for themselves at the cost of another? I mean they benefited from the good deed. You might even say they were concerned with their own welfare as helping people out tends to make you feel better about yourself?

Anyhow, that was my ramble, food for thought today!

Charity begins at home, right?!