Birds sing selflessly, never looking for an audience. The flowers give off beautiful scent, asking for nothing in return and the sun shines brightly every day, never asking for payment for its brightness and warmth. It is humans who look for some form of acknowledgement from an audience, payment for their services and this is why they suffer. The universe was not created for selfishness and so wherever there is selfishness, there will be suffering. This is the law of the universe we live in.

Selfishness can lead to the downfall of even the greatest countries. The ruler of a country is in a powerful position and if the ruler is selfish, then it can spell disaster. Hitler is one such example. He cared only amassing power and he ruthlessly persecuted anyone and everyone who dared to oppose him. He was responsible for the massacre of countless people, including children to fulfil his own selfish desires.

Selfishness can occur in almost any profession, from that of a lawyer to a doctor to an engineer to a construction worker. For example, a contractor may be bribed by a politician to vote for him and may selfishly do so regardless of the nature of the politician. This can cause issues for the country when a selfish person is elected, such as a lower GDP per capita, inflation and poverty.

If each one of us makes a conscious effort to look within ourselves and refrain from selfish acts, the world will transform.

“The universe is within you,” said Rumi and so let’s start with ourselves rather than external events which we cannot control.

It is true that the world has seen many problems other than selfishness. One of the world’s major problems is natural disasters, like the recent earthquake in Turkey. The earthquake had been an unpredictable cause of devastation to Turkey, even if better preparations for the disaster could have been made. The floods that hit Pakistan in 2022 are another example of mass devastation; yet it was not something under the control of humans. We saw heroic acts of selflessness during these disasters from certain people and that helped many affected people.

Furthermore, many of the world’s problems can be solved if educated and aware people come forward and put their efforts in the cause.

The resources in the world are finite and it is difficult to look after the needs of all. This is why many people remain uneducated and unable to help the economy thrive. It is through the selfless efforts of some people who work tirelessly to educate those who need, free of cost, that acts as a beacon of light and still sees some progress and keeps our economy alive today.

I agree that while there may be other problems not under our control, selfishness is one of the major issues that is within our control. Only by solving it, through selfless acts instead of selfish ones, can we prosper.

As Veronica Roth (novelist) wisely said, “It’s when you’re acting selflessly that you’re at your bravest.”

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 29th, 2023