Asking people to be better, to break out of the hypnosis of marketing/consumerism.
It's a lonely place to be. So perhaps this is where my selfishness comes in. Is it selfish of me to ask that the world changes so that more people can join me in my eco-vegan ideals? Perhaps. But if that selfishness benefits the world but keep us happier and healthier, than doesn't it get cancelled out?
Monday, 14 February 2011 22:52
Where Do We Draw the Line Between Pleasure and Being Selfish?
Written by Whitney LauritsenNo wants wants to be considered selfish - that's a painful word. But the reality is that we spent the majority of our lives being selfish - it's simply in our nature. I guess the definition and use of the word is what really matters. To me, being selfish means doing something pleasurable at the expense of others, and unfortunately so much of what we do in American society falls into that definition.
I'm an extremist and quite obsessive about being as least selfish as possible. I find myself sacrificing small moments of pleasure because I don't want to hurt the environment. While this may seem like an obvious thing to do, it isn't really. I'd rather feel hungry for hours than buy non-organic food in plastic packaging. I pains me to see people lining up at coffee shops every day to indulge in non organic/fair-trade coffee loaded with dairy and sugar just because they think they need the energy boost or deserve the pleasure of the taste, meanwhile the convenience of it all is completely unnecessary. What can't the same people find pleasure in eating healthier, package-free foods?
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