|
Joe's Cafe, 24/7 pit stop for ESL learners and teachers | December 2011
Egg's off, bacon's off, bread's off, tea's off. English is on though.
We are all basically selfish
Is it true? At the end of the day, are we all only interested in ourselves? Or are some people genuinely selfless and altruistic? Wordchecker Joe | Sunday, December 4th, 2011 | Filed under Debate
46 Responses to “We are all basically selfish”Leave a Comment |  Personal blog of Josef Essberger, EnglishClub founder Browse by Category |
What do you think about this statement: “We are all basically selfish“?
6th December 2011 at 2:20 pm
I think most of us are selfish. We serve what we need first and keep ourrselves far a way from such primary duties. Family’s relations and needs are worth of making time to.
6th December 2011 at 2:38 pm
The answer is yes. Because being selfish will be the realty of this life, as long as money and todays’ consumption habits exist. I dream a world without these matters. However it seems to be impossible for long. I suggest, the best thing would be to keep in contact with relaible friends and familymembers to experience an altruistic environment.
6th December 2011 at 5:26 pm
I agree but its not 100% true, because when we think about the routine tensions/problems and their solution it must involves the thinking of our family, friends, lovers, welwishers etc. In a society a person connects with many other units (persons) of society.
7th December 2011 at 4:54 am
i do agree and wanna make it more specific:
“we are all basically selfish in some cases… mostly in a hurry catching a bus, for instance, we are selfish to get the seat. Unless, we cant get any seat available.. but the worse thing is that when a big man pushed me to get in the bus til i almost fell down…Gee! he doesnt deserve to be called as a man!!!
7th December 2011 at 9:55 am
We are all basically selfish, I agree with that. That’s why we have to think about and care for other people. We can’t live alone, and if we want to live happily, then people around us must be happy as well.
7th December 2011 at 10:15 am
It is true. and we should be selfish! because we should love ourselves. The point is in what extent we are selfish, we just consider ourselves in every circumestances , or we consider others besides us.
7th December 2011 at 11:38 am
Yeah,… human is social creature because we live in social life but basically we are selfish. We fulfill our interest (our family) first then we care for other and in my opinion that’s natural and the percentage of having selfish in their mind makes some people different in the way of thinking…
7th December 2011 at 12:54 pm
I agree with you.However,I think that there are also many generous people on the world. everything has two sides so people are too.
7th December 2011 at 1:04 pm
Well, most people are selfish, but as soon as one is improved as a human being s/he becomes less selfish, or even is’s selfish anymore.
In fact we were created to live as a broterhood. We should think about others, not only about our particular needs. Our old world bolongs to everyone. So everyone should take care of everyone! LOL
7th December 2011 at 2:04 pm
It is true that our life start with selfishness. All living things except human beings continue its life with selfishness. But the human beings must live with unselfishness, because, we are living in a society only because of our wisdom. We create this societ with giving and accepting helps and developing our society as a world together for today’s and tomorrow’s generation. So, any of such words like SELFISH, SELFRESPECT against the society and should consider it’s crime, and curbing the social structure. But, unfortunately, religions, religion like Communist Party interfere and regulate people’s thoughts and deeds. Therefore, many people still think selfishness and selfrespect are their rights.
7th December 2011 at 7:30 pm
I agree with this statement.We live in a society,but we don’t have to follow all the rules.Basically,we consider our needs and what we want.At first sight,this statement seems horrible and selfish people are considered to be awful.We have to be selfish to be able to help other people.
7th December 2011 at 8:48 pm
Hello
I believe that selfishness is not only a bad feature in human being to be rejected but also appreciable.but it must be controlled like other human being’s characteristics,such as kindness,forgiveness,even fear & anxiety,all of them should be under the control of men otherwise dangerous and destroyer.
for example can we say anxiety is bad?
sure not.some people are too much anxious for their future that it avoids them to think and decide to choose better ways and options for the future but vice versa some are reasonably anxious in a way that makes them to think carefully and decide better & therefore most probably they’ll have a good future then.
Just imagine 2people, one’s unselfish and the other is too egocentric. which one is bad and which one is good?
It’s clear…none of them.each one has it’s negative side.
in my opinion we can reject none of our feautures we should just lead them in a best way to have a better result .If these features were bad they wouldn’t be created then.
8th December 2011 at 3:08 am
I don’t know whether everybody is selfish or not but I can say about me that sometimes I’m very selfish. At that moment I think about me(my family) only. Actually in my opinion selfish mentality makes us very rude. We can’t even freely talk with others if we are selfish and can’t able to find the good side of others. I think positive attitude to everybody changes our state of mind and can live happily.
8th December 2011 at 7:21 am
To be selfish , sometimes, somewhere is a good, but most of the time , I think, it’s the better to be altruistic than selfish . But, remember that, keep in mind, you are the first !
8th December 2011 at 2:20 pm
“Once a baby fish asked her mother: Mom, why can’t we live on land? Mom said: Land is not for FISH. It’s made only for selFISH”
8th December 2011 at 6:51 pm
all we are selfish with different ratio
so we have to reducing this ratio
8th December 2011 at 7:55 pm
yes
11th December 2011 at 3:30 am
Of course we r . But I think as long as we won’t hurt other people when we become selfish ,it’s accessible.Besides,no matter how great a person is ,there is still a seed of selfishness in his heart .So the great is able to be great ,not because they r born to be so,but they have the ability to control the growth of the seed.
11th December 2011 at 9:28 am
yes I think it’s true but it seems more factual in some cases of real problems because I am not selfish in normal life but I have seen my selfishness in real problem situations unfortunatelly.
18th December 2011 at 10:36 am
Unfortunately, it’s really true nowadays. Many people think about themselves first of all. Their own needs are the most important things in the world. And selfishness causes selfishness. So way the world is arranged. And one person can’t change it, but it doesn’t mean that people don’t need to try to change the world. What if will be someone lucky?
18th December 2011 at 10:43 pm
i think all of us are selfish. we prefer the good things for us first.
i think this habit in all human
21st December 2011 at 10:57 am
Ya, certainly, because we live for ourself first and family is the second. But everything has is onw reaction and we have to pay a value for that thing. Because everything we do we will recieve again from one day!
So, I think if we live for other people it will be better for us, but normally it is hard to do!
22nd December 2011 at 4:46 pm
No, we are not selfish. I don’t agree with most of the people.However, we do something daily which from other view can be consider as a selfish, but action to every reaction depend upon our total understanding of the situation. I want to say we are not mature enough to understand situation so we act selfishly.
For example, if you consider a child he wants what he likes, he will not like to share that with anyone, specially with people of his age group. But as he mature and his understanding of thing/event expand he will behave differently or in other word he will behave less selfishly.
23rd December 2011 at 7:49 pm
May be sometimes we are selfish but sometimes we are not. It may change according to the situation. I think it is like a quiz. We should choose one of them; selfishness or unsefishness. I think the true answer is; when we begin to worry about people apart from us, every thing will get better.
27th December 2011 at 11:17 pm
i think that people are selfish by nature but that’s where we have to work and try everyday to be better persons and cultivate good and positive qualities.
6th January 2012 at 2:47 pm
It’s true. That’s why we always learn our surrounding to understand what is good or not good for everyone around us. Being selfish is not always bad but being a better person is more valuable in this life.
11th January 2012 at 1:05 am
I personally like this topic, and my answer is: absolutely true! None of us is selfless or altruistic, and never can be - within our carnal minds. But there must be some creatures on earth, at least one I know: the meerkats! Watch how they socialize. During foraging for food one or two of them sacrifice themselves to stand sentry on a tree or higher surface of the ground to warn the group of approaching dangers. They also take turn to babysit the young of other females or even “breastfeed” them for the real mothers. A good lesson for humans to learn, indeed!
15th January 2012 at 2:48 pm
hi everyone!
this is the first time I come in this website and I feel it is very friendly, that is really a club like a large home.
About selfish, I think everyone naturally is selfish. We do everything for ourself, our children, our family and then for our socity. Although that, we should recognize what thing we should do to get the best for all, do not harmfulness for others.
19th January 2012 at 7:24 pm
Of couse we´re selfish. It´s just a matter of surviving in a world where everybody´s demanding to do well in what ever mission you have: at home , at school, at work,…. However, as human beings we ought to learn to balance this natural feeling developing the human values we should all have and experienced from the very moment we are born. It is all a matter of love and love implies sharing other people´s happiness or sadness.
29th February 2012 at 7:53 am
This proverb: ‘Every man for himself’ totally describe
how does this world work. We all selfish no doubt about it. Sometimes we can do some altruistic things, but they are so shallow and unimportant for us. Honestly through all our life we care only about ourselves…
2nd March 2012 at 2:57 pm
I think all of us are selfish , because all the time we are trying to obey our needs , to do every thing makes us happy . It doesn’t mean at all that we are so bad . I thinnk it is just our nature . We can implement by a good way or a bad way .
16th April 2012 at 12:52 pm
totaly wrong
19th April 2012 at 7:57 am
i don’t know about others but i feel myself more selfish.when it comes to my fiance,i want everythng should be in his accordance,i want him to be happy al the time,i pray to god.when he fulfil my wish i thanked him,when he not i blamed him tht why he did that…so i am selfish.when i am in need…..
30th April 2012 at 12:38 pm
I think the most remarkable quality in human beings is selfishness,yes ,think deeply of all what we do,u will see that we do this and that only for ourselves
27th May 2012 at 5:28 pm
Man is selfish by nature but he is to overcome this attitude all the time.
7th September 2012 at 9:22 pm
Yes, we are. But that is totally normal. Is for a selfish reason that we study, is for a selfish reason that we work, and is for a selfish reason that we love, if you don`t have selfish reasons to you love someone, that`s just charity, it`s like saying that you love that person not for a personal reason, but because that is the best thing for her, and you are earning nothing with her love, and that`s even worse than been selfish. Every action in our lives is based on a selfish reason, and who disagree with that, its just liying to himself or herself.
30th September 2012 at 2:50 pm
Is being selfish the way to protect ourselves from the never fear we won’t have enough?
30th September 2012 at 2:52 pm
The never “ending”
7th December 2012 at 6:10 am
I think we must try in right way to have best for ourselves on the condition not ruin others right and respect other rights and help as much as we can other to enjoy their life
19th December 2012 at 11:07 am
Hello Joe,
as most part of the people here I think we are selfish, but my vision of what selfishness is goes further. I, as a matter of fact, don’t think selfishness is only about i.e. leaving a sit, caring more about our interests etc. ; this is something we can easily change, the point is that also this change is owed to selfishness; this is but the atteinment to the satisfation of a moral or social need of ours. Selfishness after me it’s the push to the accomplishment of ANY and ALL of our needs, and I add it’s easier to change selfish acts than selfish attitude; endly selfishness can be a good thing if the needs we are learnt to have are good. I’m afraid I’ve messed a little in the last part anyway I hope I’ve been to be clear enough.
26th December 2012 at 6:40 pm
I have seen altruism in humans as well as in other species. I think it is just a part of the being a part of this natural system. Same goes with selfishness and selflessness. Although these things can be innate, they can also be shaped by our environment. So one might say that all three of these exist in people, but to a varying degree.
23rd January 2013 at 1:50 am
1.yes it’s true..
2.No,because we are not completely selfish.
3.the people who have the smallest degrees of selfishness are selfless and altruistic.
24th January 2013 at 11:40 pm
Pretty much true, but, there are people who sacrifice and care for others and believe you me when you sacrifice anything for the sake of someone’s happiness, you get inner satisfaction and happiness.
26th January 2013 at 9:55 pm
We are all selfish in different ways. Some of us more than other. Selfishness is normal these days. Probably not the best thing towards certain occasions, but at the end of the day, we all truly care about ourselves. There are boundaries when it comes to caring for ourselves and caring for others. We were made to worry, think, and flat out pamper ourselves in regular basis, but it shouldn’t be a constant thing. We have to be humble in most cases and love one another instead of just ourselves. Anyways, Yes, we all are selfish, especially in this society we live in now.
10th February 2013 at 1:15 pm
I think most of people nowadays are considered selfish .It is reasonable to do what is best for you in terms of convenience and priority but at the same time one should respect the others
24th April 2013 at 6:38 am
I’m not sure if my habit is considered as selfish or not. I frankly love my alone time rather than spending time with my friends. But I still socialize with them, like going out for lunch or dinner. But alone time is primary things for me. I hope people won’t be to judgy.