Is it important to sacrifice your wants for others needs or does it matter if you dont help others?

Question

What is selfishness and is it wrong?

Answer 1

Oh, this is a really good question.
First of all, you must understand that we (as humans) are born selfish. It's not something to scold for or blame others for. It is merely hundreds of thousands of years of animal instinct and evolution.
You see, almost all animals have as their first instinct self-preservation. This can get a bit complicated with our "higher intellect" as humans (lol) but basically, it's there in every one of us.
Now, as a society and individuals in that society, we have reached a point where we can override our animalistic instincts and put others before ourselves. It happens everyday, you just have to look for it. Ethics and morals are good things to have in our society. The persons who possess these are respected and held in high and lofty opinions in others.
Interestingly enough, one can view what we call ethics and morals in the animal kingdom. In the wild, there is a certain vampire bat that upon reaching adulthood will choose a food partner. An older vampire bat will fail to acquire food one night out of ten. A younger, inexperienced vampire bat will fail three nights out of eight. The one partner who has acquired food will then regurgitate blood for the other if they have failed for that night. This is another evolutionary instinct that happens to be number three on the list. Survival of the species as a whole.
Call it friendship, call it ethics, call it morals, but our view of these things can be explained from a scientific standpoint as well as a philosophical one.
So, the question should really be: Is it important for YOU to sacrifice your wants for others needs...?
Selfishness is not entirely wrong. But just because you may have evolved from a chimpanzee doesn't mean you can act like one. lol

Answer 2

It is important to help others, and on occasion, this does call for a sacrifice on our part. But this doesn't mean we have completely ignore or subordinate our wants and needs to those of another. It simply means we help when we can and do what is within our means.
Selfishness is thinking only of yourself. You only care about matters which directly effect you; making decisions without any concern as to how consequences might effect others.
Too many already operate this way.

Answer 3

Selfishness has its purpose. We have that instinct to he selfish. Being unselfish is noble, to a certain point, that point being where you become a doormat and let people treat you poorly. You should never allow that to happen. It is wise for you to keep the selfishness of others in check when it comes to their taking advantage of you. There are times, when one can be selfish, and others besides yourself will benefit. I guess I'm being too vague, but the question is vague, so this is the best I can do with what I have been given. Cheers.

Answer 4

Selfishness is the total absorption in the wants of self to the exclusion of others and their valid wants. It also implies that you are willing to harm others to achieve your own goals.

As to the question you pose, you imply that if you do NOT sacrifice your wants you canNOT help others. This is not so, especially if you WANT to help others, because then, you will be satisfying a want by helping, not sacrificing it.

P.S. a NEED should always outweigh a WANT as needs are necessary to continued life whereas wants are simply desires which impact quality of life.

Answer 5

Sacrifice for others wears many masks and is driven by a wide range of motives, many of which are often selfish.

Similarly, 'help' for others is not something we're well equipped to judge.

For those reasons, appealing to the 'avoidance of selfishness' sword, as a motivational factor is frequently used by individuals and organizations as a power tool. Wrong, or right, individual choice to participate in this snake swollowing its own tail phenomenon probably isn't the path with the greatest potential for personal growth.

Although I'm not a Christian, I do believe the behaviors defined in the seven deadly sins are worthy of avoidance, and are deadly to spiritual well-being. Greed, gluttony, and envy are among them.

The obvious question becomes, do you have to search around for people to 'help', to avoid greed. Do you have to 'sacrifice' some portion of your wealth, or belongings, to avoid it?

Examined under that light, under that magnifier, it seems to me the question of actively seeking sacrifice, actively seeking to 'help' others, doesn't carry much significance in the area of 'selfishness', nor in the more significant aspects of avoiding greedy behavior.

Answer 6

It may be in one's self-interest at times to make certain sacrifices because the benefit that one receives is ultimately greater than the sacrifice that is offered.

Answer 7

It depends, how badly do you want this and how long have you been waiting for it? Does the other person know about your want? How important is this person's need? It matters if you help each other so that you can on each other, but be realistic, you can't always be there.

Answer 8

I try to compromise when possible and keep some kind of balance.

Answer 9

when you help others, you are only helping yourself.

http://www.gitananda.org/selfless-service/index.php