Time to start BEING selfish?
Selfishness is often regarded as undesirable. It’s associated with characteristics such as being egotistical, selfseeking and not thinking of others. We can all think of people like that. The colleague who has no qualms about taking credit for work you did. The friend who asks for favours, yet is never around when you need a helping hand, or the partner or family member who always insists on having things their way. Being selfless, on the other hand, tends to be seen as a positive quality. If you act selflessly, the implication is that you’re kind. It conjures up the image of someone who is ready to drop everything to help someone. But is that a good thing?
‘We’re always hearing selfishness is one of the worst character traits,’ says Alain de Botton, philosopher, author and founder of the School of Life. ‘It smacks of greed, entitlement and cruelty. Yet, one reason we fail to have the life we should, and end up mean, bitter and irritable is because we suffer from the opposite problem – excessive selflessness.
