Selfishness < Selflessness

       
            Thinking today, I found the irony behind selfishness. There is no denying that we, humans, naturally act from selfishness, concentrating on the situations and people that will ultimately bring us happiness; but the irony is that though we feed our selfish appetites, we are never truly fulfilled with genuine happiness, and it is actually through our selfless ways that we achieve pure contentment and peace within ourselves.

            Take this for example: You have been having a terrible week, from the stresses at home and work you are looking to the weekend as a chance to unwind and relax, however, you are also aware that your best friend has recently gone through a harsh break up and could use a pick me up. Now, naturally because you are both in similar states, you will eventually decide to link up and hang out in order to leave your troubles behind, but the way that you approach the situation will also determine which happiness you will gain. If you choose to spend the weekend with your friend because you know they will uplift your spirits, you will surely experience happiness for that moment, and possibly even for a while after, however, if you decide to spend the weekend with your friend, putting aside your stresses, and with the intention of uplifting your friend’s spirits, than not only will you experience a temporary moment of happiness, but also a longer lasting one from the contentment of self fulfillment. There is no better satisfaction than knowing you have created happiness for someone else, and in return, their new found happiness will provide you with genuine longer lasting happiness.

            It is intriguing to me that it is through selflessness that we find happiness, not through selfishness, and so, I highly urge everyone, next time you have the feeling to satisfy your natural selfish urge, attempt to counter it with an action or behavior based on selflessness, and remember on which happiness you would rather have in the end.

                           ~ Stephen R. Acevedo


                                                                                            Originally Published by Community Journal