The Virtue of Selfishness

Many people consider selfishness to be a despicable characteristic, but is it really? With the right type of mentality, selfishness can actually make you a much happier person and the world a much better place!

What is Selfishness?

Selfishness is defined by the dictionary as a focus on one’s own pleasure or well-being without regard for others. Although this definition certainly carries a negative connotation, society has generalized the concept of selfishness by applying it to anyone seeking personal gain, even if it benefits others. This is a shortsighted point of view that is also socialist in nature.

A Fair Trade

Nearly everything we do in life is associated with a cost and a benefit where the benefit is the justification for the cost. Although this applies to anything in life, exchanging money for goods or services is the most obvious example. Adding need into this equation of cost and benefit creates a philosophical dilemma.

Based on our needs, many of us feel entitled to things that we haven’t earned. As such, anyone unwilling to sacrifice benefit to accommodate the need of others is likely to be judged as selfish. Ironically, this sense of entitlement is more congruent with the literal definition of selfishness.

Is it Selfish to Help Others?

Let’s forget about money for a minute and focus on the satisfaction many of us gain from helping others. This satisfaction is the benefit that justifies the cost or effort of providing assistance. In other words, we help others for our own emotional gain. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, according to society’s generalized perception, it’s selfish!

Does this mean helping others is bad? Absolutely not! But if selfishness is what motivates us to help others, and in effect advance society, then perhaps it’s not the despicable behavior many of us consider it to be!

Living For the Sake of Another

Society is hung up on the nobility of selflessness and is eager to applaud those who sacrifice themselves for the sake of others. But to be truly selfless, you cannot benefit from your actions in any way whatsoever, not even emotionally.

True selflessness would be dedicating your time, effort, or money to the betterment of someone else without receiving any indication of appreciation, gratitude, or reciprocation, and without sensing any type of satisfaction for what you’ve done. You’ve essentially devoted a piece of your life to a cause that brings you absolutely no benefit.

Would you donate your hard earned money to a charity if it gave you no emotional satisfaction and wasn’t a legitimate tax deduction? I certainly hope not because anyone who has such little regard for their time is clearly not getting much value from life. But if you do value your time and your life, than what point is there in being truly selfless?

Put Yourself First

For many, life is about happiness and fulfillment. These are the things that make us feel as if our time has been well spent, and as a result, they motivate many of the decisions we make. To achieve happiness and fulfillment, you simply must somehow benefit mentally or physically from your actions.

This is where society has become confused. It’s considered honorable to be selfless, but an action is selfless only if it fails to provide a benefit. If there’s no benefit, there’s no inspiration for happiness or fulfillment.

If you want your life to be defined by happiness and fulfillment, then you absolutely must put yourself first! While society may view this perspective with a negativity, it certainly doesn’t mean that you should disregard the welfare of others in your pursuit of happiness. In fact, pursuing happiness in a way that contributes to society is often what generates fulfillment.

It’s perfectly fine to devote your life to making other people happy, but only if it makes you happy as well. Under any other circumstances, you’re simply donating your life away.

A Miserable World

There’s absolutely no shame in putting yourself first if it also contributes to the lives of people around you. In fact, I think this is by far the most fulfilling way to live.

Alternatively, consider a world full of selfless people who are not benefiting from any of their actions. As a result, they have no reason to experience happiness or fulfillment. Everyone would be going through the motions of serving others and there wouldn’t be much to smile or be excited about. Motivation would be low and nobody would have any passion in what they do. The world would be a very depressing place to be. This scenario may become painfully familiar if you regularly prioritize the needs of others above your own.

Selfishness Can Make the World a Better Place

Regardless of what brings you satisfaction, be it helping others or owning an exotic sports car, your desire to experience satisfaction produces passion. While a desire for an expensive sports car is something that many would consider selfish, it’s also something that can be just as significant of a contribution to society as helping others.

To raise the money needed to purchase an expensive sports car, you may be inspired to develop an innovative product or provide a useful service. Without your desire for the sports car, society would potentially be deprived of your contributions. Even if it’s indirect, the selfishness of seeking personal gain is the foundation of advancement for both ourselves and society.

Be a Producer, Not a Consumer

Selfishness is a virtue only to those that truly understand it and are able to relate their wants to the needs of others. I believe that we’re all inherently capable of achieving significant personal gain in a way that contributes to society in an even greater magnitude.

Those who don’t understand selfishness as a virtue abuse it by trying to catch a free ride. They want personal gain without having to earn it and are a drain on society. What they don’t realize is that their behavior will eventually bring negative consequences to themselves as well as everyone around them.

An Inspirational Story

The late Ayn Rand was an author who is credited for this unique perspective of selfishness. My first exposure to this perspective was through her philosophical novel titled Atlas Shrugged. It’s a story that does a tremendous job of exemplifying the fault of living for the sake of others and the consequences of seeking personal gain without contribution. And of course, it makes an undeniably strong case for the value of selfishness as a virtue.

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