The monster called self-importance

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Originally Posted by daihashi

Even if someone else benefits from it, you're initial step to action was because you felt bad for someone first, not because you genuinely wanted to help them first.




Sympathy can be said to be related to selfishness.. even if good does come out of it, it was only initiated because of selfishness even if they are seemingly innocent.

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I could argue that all actions are preformed in some way for selfish reasons. If doing something for yourself is evil, than every person in the world is a demon. Think of everything you do in a day, can you say you did something that gave you no benefit whatsoever? Everything you do, even altruistic actions feed the ego somehow, so why bother calling sympathy evil or not genuine?

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Originally Posted by 40oz

I could argue that all actions are preformed in some way for selfish reasons. If doing something for yourself is evil, than every person in the world is a demon. Think of everything you do in a day, can you say you did something that gave you no benefit whatsoever? Everything you do, even altruistic actions feed the ego somehow, so why bother calling sympathy evil or not genuine?

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I admit I do tend to throw around the word "evil" a bit too much. Not genuine would be better. Or non harmonious. But yeah since it does start with how you yourself feels, and any pity you feel (thanks Stinky for chiming in with the extra bit about pity) it becomes a selfish act to remedy the feeling of sympathy followed by a feeling of accomplishment for what you've done (pride!)

Yes, I think we're all guilty of doing things for our own benefit. Maybe there's no escaping it, and competition is the fundamental basis of all life. We're each competing with ourself, trying to improve on imperfections, satisfying desires, etc.

But if we didn't take care of ourselves FIRST, not much would ever get done. We'd totally fail as a species and another form of life will become dominant. What's that cliche saying, something like "if you can't love yourself first, how can you love someone else?"

I can argue almost anything from both sides too, damn the Libra in me lol, it all boils down to efficiency, balance, order. Harmony. I've given advice to many people telling them to be more selfish, they seemed to be spreading themselves too thin trying to please everyone around them and forgetting about their own happiness. Self-importance may be the reason why any of us are here today.

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Originally Posted by GreenDestiny

...it becomes a selfish act to remedy the feeling of sympathy followed by a feeling of accomplishment for what you've done (pride!)...

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EXACTLY!!! This is what ultimately destroys Catherine Toohey at teh end of The Fountianhead- she's given no more than a quick mention in the Wiki writeup of the novel, but I feel that she is a very important character. Read up on the Ellsworth Toohey character, who uses the pity/guilt-action-pride chain of events over and over manipulateively throughout the novel. The Fountainhead - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Originally Posted by GreenDestiny

I can argue almost anything from both sides too, damn the Libra in me lol, it all boils down to efficiency, balance, order. Harmony.

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As you should be able to in order to maintain a balance in your own life! It is a gift that not everyone enjoys.