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Is it selfish to feed a child so that they will quit crying?
I think so, but I'm sure the child doesn't care.
Is it selfish to feed a child because they smile when they aren't hungry and it makes you happy to see them smile?
I think so, but again, I'm sure the child doesn't care.
Tick or Richard, can you name any action you've EVER done that hasn't been a selfish act? I mean, even your most "selfless" acts brought you some kind of selfish reward (if only a warm fuzzy feeling inside).
The word "selfish" carries with it a negative connotation because it implies that others cannot benefit from my selfishness. But the truly wise person will do things that appear selfless because that will encourage others to help him (which is a selfish motive.)
Even Tick's comment that a selfish society cannot succeed because eventually we need each others help shows that she doesn't really understand selfishness. True selfishness encourages community service, because then when "I" need help, others will be there for me.
What Tick is calling "selfishness" is really "short-sightedness" and I agree that short-sighted selfishness is destructive and will eventually bite a person in the ass.
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