Selfish - To be concerned with one's own interests.

Watched the new Adam Curtis documentary "the trap" last night on BBC2. He make's the case that modern society is predicated on the assumption that people are intrinsically selfish, this strikes me as the same theory that Richard Dawkins attempts to prove in the God Delusion.

I'm happy to go with the idea that people are basically selfish, but that does not mean that people are bad, the connection between selfish and bad is driven into us at a very early age, i remember telling my own children not to be selfish and that sharing is caring (ok maybe that was Barney) and still in the modern world we see grown up's constantly behaving in a selfish way.

But selfish is not necessarily bad!

There are 3 types of selfishness........

1. Stupid selfish.... you are a means to an end... if i had to i would kill you and eat you... i have no interest in you as a person at all... and this is explicit.

2. Smart selfish... you are still a means to an end... but i am prepared to forego the small stuff and co-operate with you in the hope that you will reciprocate and we can both win by this co-operation.

3. Rarely if ever seen... you are an end in yourself and i will help you even though it's not in my interest or may even be detrimental to me.

I think we have a lot of baggage with the word "selfish" therefore we act this way while dressing it up in all sorts of terms.... like advising..or helping out...or brownie points.

The truth (for me) is that we are all selfish, but that the world would be a better place if we were smart selfish...rather than either being ignorant selfish... or dressing it up to appear altruistic...

Most of the people who shaft us dress it up to make us believe it's for our own good.... watch QVC.