What is it that enslaves us, which keeps us from acquiring the freedom we all search for? Is it our constant desire to live longer than is customary, is it the wanting of more stuff, more influence and/or more of whatever it is we think we need more of? Or is it our selfishness, along with our insecurity, our desire to want to be safe? Here’s what the Buddha had to say on the subject:
It is not life and wealth and power that enslave men, but the cleaving to life and wealth and power. -Buddha
My friend, Jean Parcher, sent that quotation to me reminding me of a discussion we once had as to whether or not one can do a truly ‘unselfish’ act. She saw that the idea of bravery also might be a reflection of an over-emphasized desire to give rather than receive.
The famous minister and orator of the 1889s, Edwin Hubbel Chapin, said: At the bottom of a good deal of the bravery that appears in the world there lurks a miserable cowardice. Men will face powder and steel because they cannot face public opinion.
Another example of man’s selflessness vs. selfishness is in the famous long dialogue by Mark Twain, “What is a Man?” written in the early 90s. In it, the extraordinary American humorist-philosopher expresses the belief that man acts only out of self-interest.
And my friend Jean offers still another quotation on the subject; this one by author Alice Walker and from the middle of this century: I find it difficult to feel responsible for the suffering of others. That’s why I find war so hard to bear. It’s the same with animals: I feel the less harm I do, the lighter my heart. I love a light heart. And when I know I’m causing suffering, I feel the heaviness of it. It’s a physical pain. So it’s self-interest that I don’t want to cause harm.
So, are we selfless, selfish, a bit of both, or none of the above?
Let’s take another look at what the Buddha said. The same thought but saying it differently: what makes us suffer is our fear of death along with our delusion that we are separate from each other, from our friends and our enemies, and therefore need wealth and power in order to be safe and secure. In still other words, it is our attachment to self . . . our self interest . . . that motivates us and prevents us from being free. And that’s another one of the Buddha’s ultimate truths: letting go of that attachment can help us avoid suffering.
Indeed, humans are selfish. But if one thinks of our oneness . . . that we are all one . . . then being selfish is the same as being selfless. These are just words (symbols) of ideas . . . please don’t get a phobia about a symbol; the word “selfish” merely means “self interest”.
Remember astronaut Edgar Mitchell’s realization of oneness when he saw the planet Earth in space when returning from the moon. He realized that Earth is one and that everything in it and on it is a part of it . . . a part of oneness. If we’re all one then whatever we do benefits all of us . . . or harms all of us. We all know how one rotten apple can spoil a whole barrel full of them.
Sure, the person receiving the act of kindness or compassion benefits, but so does the giver. In fact, the primary motivation for the act was so that the giver can feel good about him or her self, or not feel bad about him or her self. Both are beneficiaries.
So, just how selfish are we? Good question.
Oneness. I love that. Thank you.