Selfish Man

If there is no selfish you cannot do anything. At least you will not do try for any work.

Man is a mixture of the good and bad. Education has, no doubt brought to human beings many benefits. But the very same benefits of science and technology have brought in their wake a very base instinct, namely, selfishness. Modern inventions have roused man’s desire to live in comfort. He feels an absolute necessity for a comfortable living. Wealth in the form of money and property is pursued ceaselessly.

In this pursuit, he remembers only one side of his own life. He does not care much if his pursuit of wealth causes incontinences or unhappiness to others. It is this that had made capitalism abhorred today for it exploits the poor. The ideal proverb 1Charity begins at home’ is applied to an undesirable extent. Human beings care for themselves and as long as they get what they desire, they do not mind anything else. Selfishness is at the root of all their activities.

But when we discuss the other side, only a sceptic or a pessimist would take bold to say that man is essentially selfish. Man is placed on a higher plane than other creations of god. He is accustomed to sacrifice. Every religion and every social institution contains innumerable examples of people who gave up their life and all for the amelioration of others. Even among the common folk, selfishness is not found to a large extent, as some people state.

To begin at home, no father or mother would think of retaining for him or herself any iota of food without giving it to children. They toil for their children. Similarly, there are others who try their best to improve the lot of the downtrodden. There are a number of orphanages, poor homes, old age resorts and the like to care for the helpless. People from among even rich families come forward to do social service. If man is essentially selfish such an attitude would be conspicuous by its absence.