Selfishness

I just got back from watching the Movie Eat Pray Love it was a great movie, and as always Julia Roberts was fabulous.

Anyways, through this movie I have learned the following:

1. I don't want to let life get old

2. Maybe we should allow ourselves to be selfish sometimes because it could save us from hurting others down the line. Or perhaps in order to have balance between selflessness and selfishness we need to have selfish times?

3. In one part of the movie an italian man said that Americans don't know how to enjoy things. We don't know what pleasure is, we feel guilty for doing nothing, or enjoying things. Which is true. Maybe not for all Americans but for me especially. I feel guilty doing nothing…I feel guilty for not running, not being productive, not cleaning, not talking, not eating healthy, or just sitting and being. Pleasure what is it? I need to find out.

This movie is very inspiring but like any Hollywood production you have to remember to take it with a grain of salt . Not everyone needs to leave their husbands and set off to an exotic place in order to find pleasure and balance in their lives.  Sure it's a true story, but everyone is different and so is every situation. 

So what do I mean when I say that everyone should let themselves be selfish once in awhile? Well naturally as human beings we are wired to be selfish in order to survive. Survival of the fittest remember? Not a Darwin fan? Me either, but you know those days when you give offering in Church and you have a split second thought of that new shirt you could of bought with it…yes that was selfish, but the greatest part is that you fought that urge to be selfish and you did what was right. I believe that sometimes however being selfish may be the right thing to do. 

For example:

You just got home from work, you are tired, and getting grumpier by the second. It's Friday night and your spouse wants to go out. You realize you are in a bad mood, and you know what you need. You need some alone time and a hot soothing bath. So which do you choose? Do you choose to suck it up and go with hubby to dinner regardless of your state of mind? Or do you tell him you would love to but you just really need a bath and some time alone? It is better down the road for both of your well beings for you to take what you need in that moment. So is it always wrong to be selfish? There are other times to be selfless right? How can we be selfless if we are never selfish? 

That was a horrible example but it is all that I could think of…

So what do you think? Should we be allowed to be more selfish?