Eliminating Selfish Urges
Dear [Mentat],
Yes, when our own craving urges are so strong that, like a powerful radio station close by, they swamp the other, weaker signals on the band, such as her thoughts, feelings, and wishes, then this would indeed cause problems, and be detrimental to any relationship. When craving makes us overly selfish, then it would rightly be deemed too strong. We may be les effective therefore at serving ourselves if focused too much on the self. However, unless gratifying that craving would hurt someone else or violate their rights, or it would jeopardize us in some way, the best way to reduce it is to fully indulge it. Indeed, according to Maslow, the people who have been able to satisfy their basic needs with consistency for sustained periods yearn to fulfill such needs less in later life, and are better able to withstand periods of thwarted needs without becoming obsessive or depressed. It seems thus that if we want to cure ego centrism, then we [must] first be egocentric. If we want to get rid of ignorance, we must first be willing to be green.
October 23rd, 2011 at 11:39 am
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