Being Sensibly Selfish

(An old friend’s thoughts.)

“I suppose having an endless supply of easily fooled people is a good thing. It keeps shops and what-have-you in business, doesn’t it. But sometimes I wonder.

“I mean, surely there are better things to spend money on, better than all the unnecessary stuff we buy. Sometimes I think it’s too easy to fool us.

“I suppose you have to wonder what else you’d spend your money on. I mean, if you’ve got spare money. There’s charity and all that, but what if you don’t care about the people who need help?

“I mean, you don’t give to a charity for people you don’t like.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot. And I think perhaps it all comes down to being selfish.

“What we need is for being selfish to be thought of as a good thing.

“Look, let’s face it, we’re all selfish one way or another. Even if we’re being nice, it’s because we like doing what it is we’re doing. And that’s a sort of selfish.

“So what we need is for everyone to be selfish. But sensibly selfish.

“Look, accidents, illness, money troubles, family troubles: all sorts of things can happen to you, whoever you are.

“If you’re being sensibly selfish you’ll always have that in mind.

“If we all remember that, then helping other people whether your like them or not makes good sense for everyone.

“It would mean being sensibly selfish! You might helping a charity but it’d be for your own good too. If you like, being selfish is just insurance.

“I call that good sensible selfishness.

“I don’t know how to get everyone to understand that.”