Does one have the right to be selfish?

BlimpGaz

Does one have the right to be selfish? Why does society act as though one were obligated to be unselfish? It's not possible to force someone to care about others if he doesn't, right? Isn't this an unrealistic expectation?

Besides, isn't it wrong to force someone to compromise or sacrifice his interests, freedom, resources, needs, etc. for the benefit of others? What if he doesn't want to? Why should he force himself to do something he doesn't want to do? Especially if these "others" don't include his friends or family.

Isn't is self-destructive to be too selfless and only care about others but not about yourself? If so, why doesn't society consider that a bad thing too?

If everyone wants you to do something that you don't, should you give in, or should you listen to yourself and be selfish? Is one obligated to do something one doesn't want to do, just because everyone else says so?

csallmighty

If you caught it yourself, you have the right to sell that fish.

Latchy

Free will is a great thing but a cold heart is just that ....COLD .

Lawrence1895

The one, who only thinks about other people's well being, will end up like a door mat

The King of Moo

You're overthinking it OP. Most people have enough common sense to balance a reasonable degree of self-interest with concern for welfare for others, especially in terms of occasions where the interests of oneself and others intersect.

catallus

It is your own perception of society that suggests that you should be unselfish.

I'm guessing that a large part of you having this feeling is your having being imprinted from a young age with Western Christian ethics.

Only a fool forgives his enemies, OP. Think on that.

anncoates

Your kid's nappy needs changing.

endacl

Is this one about shooting sons as well?

Latchy

catallus wrote: »

Only a fool forgives his enemies, OP. .

A wise man remembers their names .

Vicar in a tutu

We all need to be a little selfish now and then

Kidchameleon

Do shellfish have the right to be shellfish?

Annasopra

BlimpGaz wrote: »

Does one have the right to be selfish? Why does society act as though one were obligated to be unselfish? It's not possible to force someone to care about others if he doesn't, right? Isn't this an unrealistic expectation?

Besides, isn't it wrong to force someone to compromise or sacrifice his interests, freedom, resources, needs, etc. for the benefit of others? What if he doesn't want to? Why should he force himself to do something he doesn't want to do? Especially if these "others" don't include his friends or family.

Isn't is self-destructive to be too selfless and only care about others but not about yourself? If so, why doesn't society consider that a bad thing too?

If everyone wants you to do something that you don't, should you give in, or should you listen to yourself and be selfish? Is one obligated to do something one doesn't want to do, just because everyone else says so?

Doesn't that ultimately end up where you pay no taxes so you get no roads, schools, hospitals, water etc etc unless you are very rich?

Latchy

I'm very shish ...shish ...shellfish after a few G&T's .

Jimoslimos

BlimpGaz wrote: »

Does one have the right to be selfish? Why does society act as though one were obligated to be unselfish? It's not possible to force someone to care about others if he doesn't, right? Isn't this an unrealistic expectation?

Besides, isn't it wrong to force someone to compromise or sacrifice his interests, freedom, resources, needs, etc. for the benefit of others? What if he doesn't want to? Why should he force himself to do something he doesn't want to do? Especially if these "others" don't include his friends or family.

Isn't is self-destructive to be too selfless and only care about others but not about yourself? If so, why doesn't society consider that a bad thing too?

If everyone wants you to do something that you don't, should you give in, or should you listen to yourself and be selfish? Is one obligated to do something one doesn't want to do, just because everyone else says so?

Someone start reading Ayn Rand, did they?

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

Yes as long as it's not putting other people out.

I can be selfish in that I don't want to talk about my friends problems.

She can't be selfish and ask me to not talk about mine.

Scruffles

BlimpGaz wrote: »

Does one have the right to be selfish? Why does society act as though one were obligated to be unselfish? It's not possible to force someone to care about others if he doesn't, right? Isn't this an unrealistic expectation?

Besides, isn't it wrong to force someone to compromise or sacrifice his interests, freedom, resources, needs, etc. for the benefit of others? What if he doesn't want to? Why should he force himself to do something he doesn't want to do? Especially if these "others" don't include his friends or family.

Isn't is self-destructive to be too selfless and only care about others but not about yourself? If so, why doesn't society consider that a bad thing too?

If everyone wants you to do something that you don't, should you give in, or should you listen to yourself and be selfish? Is one obligated to do something one doesn't want to do, just because everyone else says so?

to be not selfish is a social rule that people are taught from a very young [toddler?] age,
every human has an ego which involves how that person looks after themself and their own wants/needs,and this is healthy,those whose ego coud fill a house are those with the narcistic label.

being a society where everyone has to comprimise and co operate,we need manners and respect,we need people willing to help other people when they know theyre getting nothing out of it themself.
but people allso need to make sure they think of themself to make sure they are not getting ripped off,used,abused,taken advantage of etc.

people who act like selfish cnts have no place in a society,they shoud move into their own island on their own as they cant live amongst people without co operating.

luketitz

Ahh, BlimpGaz.. Got caught up in your 'men valuing their own lives' sh1te the other day; needless to say I won't be taking this one too seriously. What is up with your bleak, self-obsessed posts?

You strike me as a rather odd, dejected, possibly even narcissistic caricature of who you'd like to portray yourself as and I can't relate to anything you post. Either that or you're a pretty good, but equally strange form of troll.

For someone who's championing the cause for selfishness, you sure like to share your views. I'm sorry if I've got you all wrong, but I'd really love to illicit what exactly are you aiming to achieve with your blatant attempts to portray a certain 'controversial' outlook on this forum.

dark crystal

BlimpGaz wrote: »

Does one have the right to be selfish? Why does society act as though one were obligated to be unselfish? It's not possible to force someone to care about others if he doesn't, right? Isn't this an unrealistic expectation?

Besides, isn't it wrong to force someone to compromise or sacrifice his interests, freedom, resources, needs, etc. for the benefit of others? What if he doesn't want to? Why should he force himself to do something he doesn't want to do? Especially if these "others" don't include his friends or family.

Isn't is self-destructive to be too selfless and only care about others but not about yourself? If so, why doesn't society consider that a bad thing too?

If everyone wants you to do something that you don't, should you give in, or should you listen to yourself and be selfish? Is one obligated to do something one doesn't want to do, just because everyone else says so?

We get it - you hate the fact your child was ever born, you don't understand the concept of other people ever wanting kids or pets or thinking of anyone other than themselves.

Why don't you stop naval gazing and trolling for a while and give your son a cuddle instead (if you actually have a son, that is).

Pathetic.

KyussBishop

Nothing wrong with taking care of yourself, and putting yourself first (that's not selfish), but it is wrong to ignore the harm you cause others in getting where you want (can't force anyone to care though).

Either you can at least acknowledge the harm you do others, maybe even seek to minimize that (even if for some things, there's only so much one person can realistically do), or you can just take the lazy route and go "fúck it, I know (or don't want to know) the harm I cause, and I don't give a shít", which makes you (at best) apathetic, where you don't want to know about the harm, or outright sociopathic, where you know but don't care.

It's a bit of a jump for some, but I think those who know the harm they cause, and who don't care (and especially those that try to justify it, even building a political ideology around it when knowing it's bullshít), are pretty much sociopaths (they can be perfectly emphatic to those they socialize with too; that doesn't exclude them from this judgment).


You don't have to act on your knowledge of harm though, just care; for instance, we all know that much of our consumer electronics come from (what our society would judge as) exploitation of workers in poorer societies, and most of us at least care enough to wish that weren't the case, but don't have the means to directly change it (we could vote with our pockets, but again, its not a big enough issue for a boycott to gain momentum, and electronics are ubiquitous/unavoidable).

There's nothing sociopathic or selfish about not acting in the face of this, we just know there's not a lot we can individually do about it right now (we do have a certain level of civic responsibility to educate ourselves on this harm we contribute though, but again, we can't force anyone to do that, and it's not selfish/wrong not to).


Again though, you can't force anyone to care, people have the right to be apathetic and even outright sociopathic (can't control peoples thoughts); where they (in this case, sociopaths) must be stopped though, is where they start gaining political/economic control and use that to promote sociopathic interests, and politics/business is already pretty much rife with this kind of sociopathy; that's incredibly wrong (and that in itself, is an example of harm we all cause and should be aware of, through being apathetic enough not to do anything about it ).

SouthTippBass

Its not a crime to be good to yourself.

Paul Stanley, 1983.

Schnitzel Muncher

csallmighty wrote: »

If you caught it yourself, you have the right to sell that fish.

I thought he was looking for shell fish?

Chuck Stone

Jack! What were you told young man?

Stop sharing your sweets with your sister you little commie bastard.

BillyMitchel

Zachchaus was a greedy little man
He cheated all the people in the land
When their rent they could not pay
He would take their land away