(Un)Selfish

July 22, 2019

My mother always told me to do good to others and luck will be with you. This very statement to others looks like being selfless and caring for others. But the act of selflessness never got into me because I do not see any act of any person as unselfish.

Nothing is unselfish in the world. Everything and everyone has the two perspectives, it is only a matter of the side one chooses. Many religious teachings tell us the happiness found in selflessness is everlasting but if we read between the lines it still concerns about the individual. The happiness we gain by helping others is a selfish act, achieved by sacrifices. No one is born (or thought) to be truly unselfish. According to me, a true act of unselfishness is when one gives but accepts nothing even if it is for gratitude. Gratitude is another variant of selfishness where a person thanks someone or something for the help received. What is unselfish in this world? Even nature is selfish when balancing it. Buddha preached his disciples and the world but was it not a selfish act of seeing a better world? Every thought of us is selfish, it changes the way the observer interprets it. If everything is selfish in this world then why struggle to achieve selflessness?

Here is the story with two perspectives, a baby is lost in the forest and humans are in search. Human side: Tiger grabs the baby by its neck and runs into the forest. People chase it down and kill the tiger. Baby is saved by the miraculous efforts of humans. People saving the baby are now demi-gods to others. Tiger side: Tiger sees a lost baby and tries to help him out. Frightened men throw stones at him and the baby, tiger grabs hold of the baby like it’s own cub to save it from the humans. Humans chase it down and kill the tiger leaving a baby alone unhurt. Other tigers lose hope to connect with humans.

Selflessness and selfishness are the mindsets of people and I don’t have a tool to distinguish people based on random acts of kindness. Observer decides to make better of the situation, which itself is an act of selfishness. I leave it to the reader to choose his side of observation either to make clever outcomes of the situation or letting the situation make outcomes.