Why does being selfish work?

The Emperor's Lounge
#1

Consider a case where resources are limited (basically normal life).
There are 2 people.

person A: assumes both are equal so, tries to come up wid a fair system for resource distribution.
person B: is selfish, believes he deserves it all and hogs all the resources for himself.

person B wins.

So, my question is:
Shouldn’t being objectively correct win in real life than an objectively incorrect perception of reality in which the person incorrectly thinks of himself as superior?

What do you all think?

(ps. all creds goes to E:TWTP for this insight)

1 Like
#2

Just a little philosophical question… What is what we call ‘real life’? Is it the 0.0035% of light that we can see with our eyes? If what we see is merely a perception of the information our eyes pick up and send to our brain, which then forms its perception based on that input, could it be that what we actually see first existed as a mental image in our own mind?

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” - Albert Einstein

1 Like
#3

Ah, I see.
So, since person B believes he is superior and deserves it all, he does infact deserve it all?
Is this what you mean?

#4

In my opinion, whatever idea becomes a subconscious belief shapes the lens through which we view the world. Take people with a poor mindset regarding money and wealth, for example. They could work four jobs at the same time and still struggle to make ends meet.

On the other hand, you see people who work just four hours a day, almost effortlessly, and never have trouble making enough. What’s the difference? Mindset!

Or take people hitting the gym with a New Year’s resolution to get in shape. They go in with the mindset of someone who isn’t fit and try to brute-force their way to getting jacked. A month later, they start skipping the gym and find excuses to stay on the couch watching Netflix. Then, they complain about running out of motivation.

But take the word emotion = energy in motion… it comes and goes. That’s why it’s so hard to rely on motivation alone. Instead, if you change the way you see yourself, “I’m a fit person who loves going to the gym”—motivation becomes irrelevant. You go because you see yourself as someone who goes to the gym.

This is what I mean by imagination. If, regardless of what others say or what you see with your eyes, you form in your Mind’s Eye the image of the version of yourself you want to be—along with the enthusiasm and positive emotions to support it—then you will gradually shift into that person as the world mirrors your inner reality.

So, what do you really call “selfish”? You’re looking outside to see what others will think, but that version of the world is the old you. Of course, it will be critical of your new self-image, one that is actually abundant. It will take some time for the world to adjust on the outside, but your imagination inside is instant and you are in full control all the time.

I would also examine why so many people believe that being “selfish” or making a lot of money is bad. Personally, I’ve come to realize that this belief is deeply ingrained by society, often from an early age, to keep people stuck in the hamster wheel. But who really benefits from you and your neighbours being poor? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? If you have money, you can help others. But if you’re poor, you can’t.

It’s called currency for a reason. Just like a river, it’s meant to flow—following the law of circulation.

4 Likes
#5

You can also take a pen and ask yourself what your beliefs about money, wealth, or anything else really are. When I did this, I discovered several beliefs that I didn’t personally hold, but that had come from outside influences. I was able to look at them with detachment, consciously discard them, and replace them with more empowering beliefs instead. That’s why you so often hear that awareness is key… because when you see it for what it is, you can easily just change it.

3 Likes
#6

Amazing. Thank you for sharing.

1 Like
#7

What if person A is the resource?

In other words, what if person A is a doctor and person B is injured? What, in this scenario, is the selfish person supposed to do when they need others?

Looking around the animal kingdom, it’s pretty clear that human beings have survived in large part due to our capacity to cooperate interpersonally. We’re definitely not the biggest, the fastest, the fiercest, or the strongest. But when we apply our imaginations, intelligence, and when we combine our capacities, we do quite well.

Some selfishness works. But only within a limited range. If there’s either too much or too little things tend to fall apart.

3 Likes
#8

They could berate the person A for being selfish for not wanting to automatically help them.

This is sinister, but I’ve seen it happen. What do you think, sir @Malkuth ?

#9

it sounds like you’re trying to explore the mindset of people with limited empathy, and who have a tendency to take from others without giving to others.

Such people do tend to create more unpleasant social environments and tend to drive people away.
While they may appear to ‘win’ in the short-term and in some specific circumstances, they will often experience consequences as time goes on.

I don’t have a lot to say about it. I’d certainly prefer to be around people who are not like that; and I think that’s not a particularly unique preference.

1 Like
#10

You’re thinking too black and white. We all have our generous and selfish times. No one is “not selfish”. World isn’t that simple. You may call it immature if it crosses a line but sinister is a strong word. Selfishness has its place in life. Especially if you’re running alpha subs. Try not to demonize that word. It will just cause you headache.

The entire life is about giving and taking. Sometimes you need to take in order to give and sometimes you take something and cause terrible pain but also can return to the world in thousands back afterwards. Other times, you just take… and then you sink. Balance.

1 Like
#11

Don’t overthink it.

The various bad-NGOs, “World” organisations, forums, and all those unsavoury companies and individuals, only flourish because they cooperate amongst one another better than the common folk. Or else, they know how to engineer and manufacture outside cooperation by various honest and dishonest means.

Theirs is a sad life, and their time on this planet is limited. As soon as a greater proportion of the common folk start finding intelligent ways to cooperate against their exploitations, that will shift the power dynamic. B on top, then A, then B, then A etc. That’s called revolution. If there is noone on top, its called community.

1 Like
#12

Selfless selfishness.

No need to choose either or - be selfish in a way that helps other people. You’ll be amazed at the things you can achieve when everyone benefits. Entrepreneurship is an excellent example of this principle.

Alchemist: Singularity can help if you struggle with this idea.

6 Likes
#13

Lots of different ways to explore the question, I’m not gonna anwser this, but I’ll leave you this video here which explore the math and evolution behind this :

1 Like