"If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"
-Rabbi Hillel
I have always loved this quote. for me, it really speaks to examing yourself, your motives and your ways of being with others.
I really grapple with the whole selfishness stuff...i feel that we are all selfish, but obviously some more than others. i feel i am less selfish than most of the friends i have and that is hard for me, at times. Should i be more accepting of them or more demanding of myself? I don't really know....
2 comments:
"Selfishness" has gotten a very bad rap. Yes, there are people who are concerned only with self and not others and others who ignore their own needs for the sake of others. Neither approach is the healthiest choice.
On the surface, taking care of self is logical, sensible and crucial. But, in terms of your question of being more accepting of others or more demanding of yourself, I think it really varies from situation to situation and person to person.
You sound like you know yourself pretty well and know when you need to push yourself and when to hold back. (You've talked about this in terms of your marathon training.) That being said, I have the feeling that if you get quiet and ask yourself what action you should take when you're confronted with your question, you will receive an answer. The keys are to ask, then to listen and then to accept what you receive. Not always easy.
The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand is an incredibly cerebral and fascinating read on the moral obligation of everyone to be self-centered.
And if you think of it, if everyone in this world was more concerned with the development and enrichment of their selves, what a wonderfully progressive, civilized world it would be.
The people who give selfishness a bad name are those who are not remotely concerned with self. They are actually concerned with the stuff immediately surrounding the self. The outer world, not the inner.
So go on and pour as much as you want into your self. The world will be a better place for it and you will have more love to pour out for everyone else!
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