Self-interest as a quality of personality

In the "Jade rosary," the hero B. Akunin says that the causes of any crime are "either asti, or yst, or is, or awn," that is, there must be passion, greed, revenge or danger. And he, of course, is right, because motive of many murders, robberies, thefts, deceit, violence and insidiousness is just self-interest. This quality of the person gives rise to inhumanity, cruelty, coarsening of the heart, envy, treachery and calculating.

Self-interest is the idealization of profit. The essence of this quality is manifested in the enslavement of the will and an irresistible desire to extract from all the maximum of profit, benefits, benefits, dividends and benefits. The emphasis is on some future advantages: to obtain approval, promotion, in a word, to derive any material or other benefit. In other words, self-interest is, by its nature, purposeful, active and enterprising. Like a hungry dog looking for a bone, avarice searches for a chance to profit in everything. Thirst for profit, gain for self-interest and God and the king. It gives it excessive meaning and importance. Everything else goes into the background, becomes secondary or of little significance. A lot of our actions are self-serving. We work for the salary. A subbotnik is an unselfish work. Let's recall the lines of V. Mayakovsky: "The work is difficult, the work is hard. For her, no kopecks. But we are working, as if we are doing the greatest epic. " If we do something for others, without waiting for approval, honors and benefits, then our actions are unselfish. A mother fed a baby or made dinner for her husband simply out of a feeling of love, without waiting for approval or some kind of compensation.

In ordinary human greed, there is nothing unnatural. A man gets acquainted with a woman, someone gets a job. In all this there is greed and this is normal. Another thing is when for promotion in a person a person does not disdain with any means - he sows, slanders and substitutes his competitors, that is, he is insulting. All his unseemly acts are dictated by a thirst for profit, which he will extract from his new position. There is nothing wrong with the desire for career growth. But when self-interest is given excessive importance, when other people suffer from it, when it is loved (greed), then we are dealing with a fatal passion. If the word "covetousness" is removed from the letter "c", we get the essence of this concept - to get to the trough and never to break away from it.

Covetousness covers both income and expenditure transactions, that is, it extends to both accumulation and consumption. On a minus too it is possible to take advantage. For example, a collector bought out the entire thousand-thousand copies of stamps, burned it, leaving one single brand. Other collectors are harmed - they will never be able to collect a complete collection of brands on this topic. At the same time, self-interested, owning a unique brand, can get for it a cash equivalent, much higher than the cost of the entire circulation. Or such an example. The landowner collected a harvest of bread and, despite the famine, waits for the prices to jump. Self-interest is not interested in the suffering of people, the main thing for him is to get superprofits.

Self-interest is always action or inaction directed at gaining profit. The desire to die for a relative for gaining an inheritance by greed is not, because there are no concrete actions to accelerate the demise. An anecdote in the subject. In the family, a mother-in-law dies and suddenly says: "Look, the fly is crawling along the ceiling." To which the son-in-law affectionately so notices: - Mom, do not get distracted, please! »The desire of the son-in-law is only a desire and all. Another thing is when the son-in-law is holding his mother-in-law over the balcony of the thirteenth floor and says: "Another would have shot or strangled you in my place, but I simply let you go." This is self-interest in its pure form.

Self-interest is a thirst to have, to gain benefits under the guise of goodness, to say about them: mine. Under the influence of vanity, covetousness becomes lush, from pride and lust for power - spirited, from insanity - stingy. It is always restless and unsettling, it will not make a step without benefit. Every gesture, word or thought of self-interest should bring tribute. It, like King Midas, desired that everything to which it touched would turn into gold. But greed is not stupid, like Midas. When Dionysus left, Midas decided to check how his wish was fulfilled at the expense of gold. He rushed through the palace, touching everything, passing by. The green branch from the oak will tear off - a branch turns into gold in his hands. Torn in a field of ears - they become gold, and gold in them grains. Tear an apple - the apple turns into a golden one, as if it were from the gardens of the Hesperides. When he washed his hands in the roadside source, the water drained from them with golden drops. Everything to which Midas touched, immediately turned to gold. Turn everything into a benefit - the blue dream of insane greed - greed.

Between greed and self-interest, the difference is only in the degree of mastery of personality. Greed is a crazy avarice. It aims to get as much as possible, only this pathology, maniacal passion, is mended. Miserliness is different from greed and greed by the way to achieve results. She dreams of nothing at all. The motto of stinginess is to own, but not to use. Miserliness goes mad in its own way - not from accumulation, as greed, but from non-consumption. Greed, like self-interest, covers both sides of life - both accumulation and consumption, then it is greed. The idealization of possession or consumption is the essence of this concept. Unlike greed, greed, often, is purposeless, primitive, petty, stubborn, not enterprising and stupid.

Greed is not given to analyze possible scenarios of actions of rivals and competitors, to calculate several steps forward the course of events. Greed, like a child who is taken away his toy, says: "I will not give. It is mine". Greed due to its stupidity, conservatism and pettiness will miss the benefit where the greed fills a multi-way combination to calculate it. If avarice is aimed at extracting personal gain to the detriment of others, then greed, because of its worthlessness and recklessness, usually brings harm to itself. When greed stands under the closed doors of the MMM, its employees say: "Our clients are stupid and greedy. Stupid - because they gave us money, and greedy - because they require them back. "

Self-interest is thinking, elite, enterprising greed. A lot of positive qualities of personality in conjunction with self-interest flourish blossom and are realized in achieving their goals, successful business, creative work and scientific discoveries. At the same time, such a negative side of avarice is leveled as harm to other people. The entrepreneur or scientist begins to accumulate their achievements and successes. Self-interest gives this accumulation the power of intention, firmness of spirit and perseverance. It urges them: "We must get ahead of competitors. We'll be late, we'll be second. Let's lose the benefit. We must dare. " On the Australian arms, there is kangaroo as a symbol of progress. This animal can not jump back, only forward. The look of covetousness is always directed to the future. Therefore, out of a sense of justice on the coat of arms, one should make an honorable inscription: "Forward to the future".