In this world, there is nobody who isn't egoistic.
Humans don't need to learn to be egoistic. It is hard-wired in us, to be egoistic. Heck, even babies cry if attention isn't given to them, right? Egoism at its best.
True enough, there are some people who appear to be less egoistic, but it entirely depends on the individual. It could be family upbringing, possible, but not one's nature, for it has been explained above.
There are times when circumstances forbid someone to be egoistic. For example, when making a decision that can/will affect a large number of people. The decision maker will have to put everyone else's interest above his own, otherwise he would lose the respect of the group, and subsequently, the rights to making decisions for the group. That in itself, is egoism, no? To make decisions that seem fair to everyone, so the leader of the group, will remain the leader of the group. So much for altruism. It is but a false ideal, egoism in diguise.
Humans merely making use of other humans, to achieve their own goals and satisfy their needs. A sickening thought. This makes me believe, that the human race is a corrupt and hopeless one. Doomed for extinction.
Okay, maybe that was a *little bit of* extreme negativity. But it's just a personal point of view, that you don't need to subscribe to. :)
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Ego is a good thing. It gives us a sense of self-worth (albeit artificially) when we are feeling down and there's nothing else lest in the self-esteem tank.
ReplyDeleteFor guys, ego is our achilles heel. Try getting it ripped to shreds by the opposite sex and you'll see what I mean.
For girls.. Nvm, i'll tell you in class.. They have a weakness too!
oh so sweet.
ReplyDeletea post so random that is has totally no relation to whatsoever.
altruism is like saying jesus is a poster boy for good deeds.
i don't believe that anyone is truly altruistic
as well. i only know that the reason altruism exists in a certain manner viewed by manner is because of the opposite end of the spectrum where there are people who sell out others, selfish, narcissistic and my vocab is not that extended.
there are the optimists. but from a purely psychological standpoint, humans all have unjustified optimism.
in short, hope.
it's a form of illusion many create and help us
to progress smoothly in life. a by product of altruism? or a product of poster boy J?
everyone needs ego. it's just the doses and which it comes in that we need to control it.
i do agree with you, lester.
ReplyDeletehumans, by nature, are self-centered. theres a chinese saying 'ren bu wei ji, tian zhu di mie'.
and i mean, we live for ourselves, right?
moreover, i think we have to. cant really expect others to be with one all the time. everyone has their own business to mind.
yet. its a big world out there. i believe there are people out there, who are truly willingly to help others, without any expectation of getting something in return.
not all, maybe just 1% of them. like the sacrifices parents made for their children.
or even charities acts. yet, some may say they are earning for status or respect.
so long they are helping out the needy ones, why bother about their real motives. thats what i think, and only apply to such cases.
i suppose it really depends on your perspective.
what may be seen as an act of selflesness to one, may not be to others.
and to say humans are doomed for extinction, i dont think its that serious. of course, we do make use of each other. but, it is all part of life.
sometimes, in life, just dont think too much. :))
Sometimes people are deem to be egoistic by the way they talk or ther action. However, it might not be entirely true as this are the perspective of the other party. He/she might not have realise that what they have done show their egoism. Hence so, i end my opinion with saying that ego cannot be control, it needs to be out sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that each human being has a level of egoism in them.It doesnt really matter the gender or race.Modernisation has taught us that we live for ourselves and our own rights. Look at the world; people fighting for gay rights, women rights and black rights. The only way to disallow others to step on them is through egoism. So i guess, egoistic is important to a certain extent. Ironically, I hate egoist or simply people who goes over the line.
ReplyDeleteAs for "altruism", it does have a connection with the ego booster. Helping others may equal to helping our ego boost as we feel good and may brag about being a hero in some sort of accident. But I do believe there is a certain percentage of people who really does help for the sake of helping. In another words being truely altruistic.
Nice post anyways. Enjoyed reading it:)
I went to do a little read up on ego. What the hell is it and is there any practical use of this 'ego' in relation of the theory.
ReplyDeleteSo I found about Id, ego and super Ego.
Id- comprises the unorganized part of the personality structure that contains the basic drives. The id acts as a pleasure principle: if not compelled by reality it seeks immediate enjoyment. It is focused on selfishness and instant self-gratification.
Super Ego- The Super-ego aims for perfection. It comprises that organized part of the personality structure, mainly but not entirely unconscious, that includes the individual's ego ideals, spiritual goals, and the psychic agency (commonly called 'conscience') that criticizes and prohibits his or her drives, fantasies, feelings, and actions.
Ego -the mediator between the id and the super-ego, trying to ensure that the needs of both the id and the super-ego are satisfied. It is said to operate on a reality principle, meaning it deals with the id and the super-ego; allowing them to express their desires, drives and morals in realistic and socially appropriate ways. It is said that the ego stands for reason and caution, developing with age. Sigmund Freud had used an analogy which likened the ego to a rider and a horse; the ego being the rider while the id being the horse. The horse provides the energy and the means of obtaining the energy and information needed, while the rider ultimately controls the direction it wants to go. However, due to unfavorable conditions, sometimes the horse makes its own decisions over the rocky terrain.
If the Id, ego and super ego theory holds, I think ego is very important, regardless the fact that there are people with unhealthy egos out there.
Imagine a world where people run around only with just Id.
Ego's task is to find a balance between primitive drives and reality while satisfying the id and super-ego. It allows us to develop psychic functions such as judgment, tolerance, reality-testing, control, planning, defense, synthesis of information, intellectual functioning, and memory.
Like it or not, ego is here to stay.
Pikachu