I finished Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged last night, which is an accomplishment in itself for me. I have trouble finishing fiction... prefer non-fiction works. I'll admit it; I enjoyed the book. That is a statement that would never have come out of my mouth a decade ago. My grade school English teachers would be proud.
One of the prominent messages I took from the book was that in order to truly benefit others, get past the idea that producing for ourselves is wrong. In other words, being selfish is selfless. Rand argues that it is because we have the ability to reward ourselves individually for our endeavors that produces creativity, progress, and, most importantly, action. All three in turn reward society at large. It is the idea that being self-serving in general is a sin that stifles us from truly achieving great things.
Our motivations for everything in life draw mostly on how the things in question benefit us, and I feel that is not a bad thing. Let's look at volunteerism. Volunteers are considered to be the some of the most selfless individuals, because they are doing work for the greater good without pay. But they receive other forms of compensation. Some do it for recognition and status. Others may do it to fulfill a sense of obligation. Some do it to relieve boredom. And others do it because they enjoy the actual work. But all these reasons are self-serving. We're taught that if you are ultimately serving yourself, you should feel guilty. Why should you feel guilty? The work is still getting done... society is still being rewarded. And society doesn't care about your motives.
Now the other side of the table. Being rich generally is seen as a selfish endeavor. But chew on this... the perceived rich are seen as such because of their accessibility to move currency. And why do people strive to be rich? To have nice things to provide for those that they care about... things that were constructed by people, who in turn receive payment for their work, which they can use to provide for their own lifestyles. Providing for others... a selfless endeavor.
It really comes down to reaching your full potential by becoming you for you alone. If you better yourself, it helps out others. So the best way to help others is to focus completely on yourself. I know... consider mind blown.
