Me, Myself And I

Selfish and Selfless, what's the difference really ? Turns out, there isn't any except perhaps, the perspective.

Growing up, I always made it a point to be considerate and thoughtful in my actions. I was so careful not to tread on another person that sometimes I inconvenienced myself. Having said that, I was happy doing so because I had been called a lot of things and "selfish" was never one of them.

Now that I think about it, even without the fear of that label, I would have done the same things because I would have felt better about myself! And this gets me to my point – is there any act that is truly selfless?

Try as you might, you won't be able to find one. There isn't anything we do that is entirely for another person. I tried to question my own actions and was determined to find something because I was naïve enough to think that I had to have been selfless at some point. Alas, each "act" turned out to be for my own happiness, peace or just so I could sleep peacefully and keep my conscience clear.

Even a mother whose actions are completely unconditional and oh-so-giving are born out of love for her child. No matter how I twist the answer, no matter what actions I review - I am at loss to find a truly selfless act.

This may sound morose and paint a rather solemn picture of our world but who said we need to be selfless to be good? We can still do a lot of kind deeds, spread happiness and more importantly do something for our own selves without fearing the wrath of the pseudo selfless jury.