chickpea
Posts: 446
Joined: 8/3/2005
From: Los Angeles Area
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quote:
ORIGINAL: DesFIP
I am both cynical and selfish. Which by no means equates to boring, common, paranoid and greedy. Cynical means that I can often easily predict the worst possible scenario and see when people are deluding themselves. Selfish means I am not willing to be used up by someone else, giving everything and receiving nothing. I view selfishness as inherently healthy just the way the airlines do. They remind you to put on your own oxygen mask first, otherwise you will pass out and be unable to help those next to you.
I think focusing on our own needs first is a good thing. How can you take care of others when you're not taken care of? That's like a broken bridge trying to support cars driving over it. Not going to happen. You're going to take everyone down with you if you don't focus on yourself first. So focusing on your self is self-centered, but not selfish in the baaaad way. That sort of situation screams, fix the bridge first and who cares about the broken down cars! Especially if everyone else around you has their needs met and you don't.
I think selfish is putting your wants (not needs) ahead of others all the time and not giving back what you take from others. Let's not confuse the two.
quote:
Why do you think healthy is greedy? Why do you insist on an unrealistic viewpoint of the world, demanding that people not be people?
See above. I think modern society is coaxed to behave that way, especially in the capitalistic countries where dog-eats-dog rules the day. For example, when I drive through traffic in L.A. I MUST cut the other person off in order to change lanes, if you insist on being polite and wait your turn you'll never get to where you want to go. First, you have to know where you want to go and then use all means to get there. So you have to go with the cultural/climate you're in to get to where you want. I may have the biggest heart of gold or whatever, but generally speaking in my environment, if you give people an inch, they'll view you as a pushover and run-over you at the first opportunity especially in the workplace and/or in a bad economy (the U.S. ..thank you Bush). Who cares about showing your heart of gold to people who aren't close to you, or yearning for the more polite days of times past or other places when it's not going to get you anywhere except a stop at Bitterness Bay.
For me, I can sit back and think what sort of society is it where people have to take medications just to survive and be "normal"? from a purely intellectual standpoint. And analyze the decay of our society, etc. maybe in a book or discussion. But when push comes to shove and I have to achieve what I have to achieve (like errands, meetings, graduation, etc), then I wouldn't keep that "truth" in my mind, rather I'd keep my goal in mind and do things to get it. Of course values have changed and you have to do it in a moral way (you know, Karma), but gotta know what you want and do things to achieve it, rather than listlessly and uselessly thinking of better ways and things that simply are realistic or possible for the here and now...whine about it, and call people names when they don't whine with you.
Yea, it's a shame that people have to be cynical and "selfish", but maybe it's a sign of our times, and the best way for many of us to have an impact on the climate of our times is to elect a leader who can change that climate (Hillary...Obama...Hillary) .. and isn't narrow-minded, inflexible, dumb, and doesn't share the majority of people's values (ehrrm Bush) heh my shot at the written version of the subliminal message
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