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Selfishness

Knowledge Base

by Roy Posner and MSS

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Oblivious Selfishness
Human selfishness has no bounds. It is there in every one of us constantly expressing in subtle and not so subtle ways. It is something we are consistently oblivious to, and yet other are constantly experience its sharp or blunt effect.

Index of Selfishness
If MAN is totally ignorant of anything, it is that he is selfish. There is an index for being extremely selfish. That person will ceaselessly complain about every other person that they are selfish. (MSS)

Oblivious Selfishness
If MAN is totally ignorant of anything, it is that he is selfish. Men are selfish and mean, says Sri Aurobindo. The only thing we can do about it is to cure it in ourselves. There is an index for being extremely selfish. That person will ceaselessly complain about every other person that they are selfish. There are affectionate families that are utterly selfless. In such families men and woman never mention what they own, or how useful they are to others.

Property, jewels, money, things will be used by anyone without reference to the individual rights. Occasionally an utterly selfish person will be born there. He will spread his empire without anyone standing in his way. Shamelessly he will expect everyone to serve his own purpose. His expectation will be abundantly fulfilled. Selfishness is dynamic, and can reach proportions of the infinite. A time will come when such men accuse all the others of selfishness. It happens when he has crossed his limits at all points of functioning.

Selfish members of a selfless family will rule the roost, as no one in the family will bring themselves to speak about it. His friends will constantly caution him and warn him of its consequences, of its unfairness, of the injustice. His one reply will be that he is serving the family to his utmost capacity. No amount of explanation will make him see the truth, as he is vital and the arguments are mental. His one grievance will be that no one around him knows his own needs and no one is selfless enough to meet them. What is blatant to every other person will not be seen by him. He will be oblivious of it. There are persons who are not selfish; nor does anyone else perceive them to be selfish. They are unselfish and in some areas they are self-giving.

Suppose such a person begins to examine himself from the point of view of selfishness, he can find several areas where he is fully selfish and many other acts where he can legitimately be accused of being selfish. It is so because selfishness is all-pervasive. The very human being is created around a self, an ego. The Rishi who takes to tapas moves from his human self to the divine Self within him. Modern life in the urban areas frowns upon the ego-trips of individuals. It is a great, good sign. Active psychological Self-giving practised as an article of faith brings one's Spirit to the surface of his life. (MSS)

On Selfishness
Selfishness is to put oneself at the centre of the universe and to want everything to exist for one's own satisfaction. (The Mother)

Ego and Selfishness
The ultimate weapons of ego are selfishness, desire and pride. (MSS)

The Selfish Man
The selfish man cannot respond with any interest to a work whose results can also benefit in the least measure another. (MSS)

The Gift Card
A friend forwarded this life response incident.]

"I just experienced what could be a negative life response. It was not for me, but another co-worker.

As you know, in the past the doctors here at the cancer center where I work give everyone a Macy's gift card for Christmas. Well, almost every day for the past week my co-worker has kept asking ''when are we getting our gift card from Macy's?"� I told here that I didn't know, and that we will have to wait and see.

Well, last night just after this person went home, we received an e-mail from Human Resources stating that the cancer center doctors have donated to the Red Cross instead because there have been so many disasters there these past few years."

[Roy comments]
Yes, her attitudes and that of the doctors were diametrically opposite. They seeked to help; she demanded what was not hers to insist on. They did a positive good, which she experienced negatively as a response to her wanting intention. When our attitudes are selfish, we tend to attract the opposite, especially if there is a corresponding force that we are aligned with that is moving in the opposite direction.

The Selfish Man
The selfish man cannot bring himself to give. (MSS)

Man's Selfishness
Man has the genius to shut himself into his shell of selfishness and feel cosy as long as his wants, rather his desires are fulfilled. (MSS)

On Selfishness
-Selfishness is not appreciated even by a selfish man.
-Prayers will be answered according to our level of selfishness. (MSS)

Untitled
Our physical consciousness is completely selfish; our vital consciousness is intermittently the same; and our mental consciousness is better, and yet it is constantly aware of the plethora of deficiencies of the other planes.

Man's Selfishness
Man's selfishness finds its marked expression in his wanting the whole world to give him what he is not willing or capable of giving to the world. (MSS)

Expressions of Selfishness
Selfishness can be cultured or rudely boorish. In either case, its one demand of anyone is: give up what you have and leave me to myself. (MSS)

Man's Pains and Selfish Longing
-All the pains man suffers from now are generated by the intensity of his selfish longing.
-Man's pains will go when he wants to give not expecting any result, not even recognition. (MSS)

Destruction of Selfishness
To serve selfishness is a weakness and a sin. It can also help you to destroy your selfishness at a later stage, while in the final stage the same act while fully wiping you out, will help destroy universal selfishness. All these are valid only when the ego is still in existence. After the extinction of ego, selfishness for you is like any other trait including selflessness. (MSS)

Serving Selfishness
To serve selfishness is worse than being selfish because this service issues out of the servility of a selfish person. (To be selfish is to have it as a primary urge. To serve another's selfishness is to have it as an undeveloped tendency. For such a tendency to be shed, one needs to first raise it to being the primary urge. For this reason, it is less permissible.) (MSS)

Selfishness of the Intelligent Animal
It is the selfishness of the intelligent animal which denies the right to the other person. It denies him even the right of doing what he himself does. (MSS)

The Selfish Man
The selfish man evaluating others as selfish is worse than his own selfishness. (MSS)

Thoughts on Selfishness
The most organised form of selfishness is that which refuses a big boon because it includes a small bit to another too.

The selfish man evaluating others as selfish is worse than his own selfishness.

Selfishness is incapable of conceiving of selflessness even in others.

The selfish man trying to give up selfishness is like man trying to forget hunger.

The thoroughness with which SELFISHNESS reaches the potentials and distant possibilities is always devoid of any sense of shame. Shamelessness is endowed with thoroughness. Shamelessness is incapable of self-restraint.

Selfishness necessarily goes with shamelessness.

Man who learns only when his own interests are adversely affected, is a vitally selfish person. It is foolish to reason with him.

The ONE thing man likes best is to have everyone's resources at his own disposal and himself enjoying unfettered freedom in its totality.

Man's dedicated selfless works are only selfish.

Selfishness is the source of all ill-wills. It is incapable of true good will.

A selfish man cannot stomach the idea that another will receive a benefit, however small, by his own exertion, though that other person has conferred all his wealth on him.

A selfish man cannot stomach the idea that another will receive a benefit, however small, by his own exertion, though that other person has conferred all his wealth on him.

The greatest dynamism of selfishness is seen in its resourceful organisation to crush anything ideal, to tyrannise idealistic romance.  

Selfishness can be loyal, affectionate, espouse any ideal and still remain selfish.  

Selfishness can be loyal, affectionate, espouse any ideal and still remain selfish.  

Selfish people attaining a position tend to eliminate all others from there.

It never occurs to selfishness to reply a letter.

Selfishness and Sincerity do not go together.

Selfishness finds Good a weakness. (MSS)

Untitled
Selfishness is incapable of conceiving of selflessness even in others. (MSS)

The Part and the Whole as in Selfishness vs. Self-Givingness
The part and the whole have their own attitudes. The attitude appropriate to the whole is Selflessness. It can mature into self-giving. The part's attitude is selfish. Selfishness can hurt others or all. Selflessness in one can hurt no one. The selflessness of the part cannot hurt others or the whole. (MSS)

Human Giving
Human giving [as opposed to self-givingness] is as much for self-aggrandisement as the receiver's greed. (MSS)

Vanity-based Gift
A gift made through vanity is profitable neither to the giver nor to the receiver. (The Mother)

The Part and the Whole as in Selfishness vs. Self-Givingness
The part and the whole have their own attitudes. The attitude appropriate to the whole is Selflessness. It can mature into self-giving. The part's attitude is selfish. Selfishness can hurt others or all. Selflessness in one can hurt no one. The selflessness of the part cannot hurt others or the whole. (MSS)

Overcoming Selfishness
There are many occasions in the course of our days where we express our selfishness. It is often marked by irritation, obliviousness, and pure ego.

This being the case, why not take the time to document all of them, being scrupulously honest and sincere in that effort. Then develop a plan to avoid as many occurrences as possible, and then act on it with fierce determination. If we also offer that persevering effort to the spiritual Force, we will not only create better relations with others, and elevate our consciousness, but we will attract powerful positive response from the world around us.

See Thoughts on Self-Givingness and Selflessness

MSS Thoughts on Self-Givingness, Selflessness, Selfishness, Etc.

 

 

To Be Categorized

 

Selfishness, Meanness

Selfishness and Meanness

Sri Aurobindo said MAN is selfish and mean. Meanness is more difficult to get rid of than selfishness. Selfishness is the power, meanness is the attitude. (MSS)

 

Not Doing what Benefits Others

No man will do what may benefit others. (MSS)

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