Aren’t people basically just selfish, and talking about all this stuff a bit of a waste of time? Hmm, my son has a strange habit. When I take him out to eat he will order something he wants, then he will want to feed me parts of it. I sort of don’t want whatever he’s offering, but I accept it anyway. People are a lot of things, and a selfish stance is a commonly learned behaviour. It isn’t necessarily the nature of who we are.
So having a sense of self doesn’t mean you are selfish? Having a sense of self doesn’t equate to selfishness. There is a concept I sometimes refer to, enlightened self interest. I’m basically a very selfish person. I help people because I believe I should, because I want to and not because I was taught I should. I will make a silly face to make my son smile. He thinks it’s very funny, but I want to see that smile. Taking can be generous.
Are selfishness and greed the same things? No, they aren’t. Having a central locus of control, being “self centered”, is in a sense natural. Greed is not. Greed is self sabotaging actually, because even if you gather all of what’s available for yourself. You use it all up for yourself.
Greed is wanting without need? Ah, greed is taking without desire. Someone acting from greed doesn’t really have an emotion, a want, except fear and worry. They fear that they may in the future not have food, so they will take all the food. They worry they might not be able to get more money, so they cling to their own and do things to take other peoples.
Can you be loved by hated people? Yes, potentially you can, because no person is inherently a single thing. This is why ego is so often a stumbling block.
How? There is hate around. There is also a welcome, an acceptance. That is another aspect of not worrying, we often worry because we seek to deny some truth about life. We would really rather have something our own way, and be that way all by itself. But it’s that very worry and thus non-acceptance that prevents us from having our own way.
Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.
Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~