The Self-Defeat of Selfishness

These last couple of days have reminded me of how dangerous selfishness can be, for ourselves and everyone else.

Of course, it's not like I never knew this. It seems as though many people in my country can't wait to showcase their unwillingness to share, at any given time.

It happened last year, when toilet paper became a rare resource. It happens every time unemployment benefits or student loan debt are discussed. And it's happening again now, thanks to the gas "shortage".

I don't want to get overly political, but the truth of the matter is that our lives are inherently political. Our daily realities shape how we view the world, as well as the ramifications of what our eyes tell us.

It's always stunning to me that our first instinct, as people whose future survival depends on the survival of everyone else, is to hoard resources. We can't go on like this.

We will be our own undoing, in the interest of selfishness.

As disappointed as I am, I know that this is all to be expected. Eventually, there will be a normal amount of gas to go around. We'll forget about how awful people can be for a while, until the next shortage reminds us, once again.

I hope that enough of us can see a new way forward. I hope that those of us who are oriented towards simple self-interest will be inspired by the idea that real self-interest takes the collective into account.

We'll survive together, or we won't survive at all.

Keep breathing, friends.

-D.