So based on the above selfish is defined as something like... caring mainly for myself without thinking about others.
Hey... based on the definition of selfish, most, if not all, of us are selfish.
Often, we make decisions which are self centered and for our own "personal profit or pleasure".
When we kill an animal to eat... is that not selfish?
I'm no vegetarian. I recognize that due to my own desire to eat meat, an animal has to die.
Right or wrong, that is a moral question. The current society that we live in has deemed it to be right.
If the top 40% of Singaporeans contributed 3% of their income to support the bottom 10%, there would be no poverty in Singapore.
Of course many would wonder, that with free handouts, would the poor have any willingness to improve for themselves? Or would they just stay where they are and just rely on handouts.
We're willing to keep people in poverty for the probability that a bunch of folks will be overly reliant on handouts.
The idea of punishing everyone in class cos a few classmates are naughty.
Most of us are selfish.
Let's not deny that.
Most of us, could easily put down $100 on a meal a couple of times a month.
And yet, how many of us donate that same amount to the less fortunate?
Now, truthfully, I'm not bothered by this.
It is what it is. Society is how it is and I'm not going to try to sugar coat it.
I'm selfish, and probably, you are too.
Whereas greed incorporates selfishness, having a huge desire for something without considering others.
Or, I read it as... selfishness on steroids.
Now... if we're ok with selfishness, then we should be ok with greed.
Cos... it's the same thing, assuming that everything is done legally.
As I said. Morals are a different issue, cos morals are decided by the current society.
If we're ok with selfishness, which would be deemed low level greed.
Then we should be ok with high level greed.
Cos levels of greed is subjective. What one person deems greedy might not be greedy to someone else.
Since, I think we can accept that most of us are selfish and since we are selfish, different degrees of selfishness should be accepted as well.
Pay day loans or pawnshops are deemed to be exploitive to the low income. But yet, no one forces the low income to use pay day loans or pawnshops. It just offers a service. If there is no demand, then the business will close up.
Or overfishing or over logging... businesses can continue to fish or cut trees, cos there is demand for the products.
Cos the people who make up the demand, which is all of us... are also just as greedy/selfish.
We want more stuff too regardless of the impact on the environment. Actually, most people would like to be ignorant or deny the impact on the environment. Out of sight out of mind, ignorance is bliss.
Our own greed/selfishness feeds other peoples' greed and selfishness.
Since many people want products, sellers will fulfill the demand.
"Wants", are inherently, selfish.
Most of us own a phone, we want a phone and the other functions of it.
It is a luxury. It is not needed for survival.
This "want", is selfish, cos it imposes a cost on resources and the environment.
Multiply it by the thousands of "wants" in our lives.
It is selfish cos we don't think about our children and our children's children.
And by this train of thought, we are also all greedy, cos we want many "wants".
Fulfilling just one "want" is not enough.
You see... selfishness and greed, aren't just about money. It's about everything.
Making decisions for our own personal benefit with little thought about the impact that it has for others, which includes the future generation.
Well, I've rambled long enough.
What I want to say is... well, we're probably all greedy and selfish in some way or other.
How right are we when we judge someone else by our own benchmark of what greed or selfishness is?
Everyone draws the line differently.
We're no saints ourselves.
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