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Self Love, Self Interest, and Compassion


Picture's Courtesy: Pinterest


The modern-day imagination about "self-love" revolves around self-interest, which may be defined and explained as "pleasure and security craving instinct", believed to be inherent in every creature, as portrayed by Thomas Hobbes. After Charles Darwin's publication of The Origin of Species, every imagination on the phenomenon of life contracted around the anxiety of self-preservation, which is conceived in context of self-interest or self-love. Hobbes' celebrated statement about Human nature is often quoted with a sense of certainty, as if one has discovered the truest and the most profoundest law of human's nature. Machiavelli went ahead with his realpolitik sensibilities and articulated human's nature with no sense of altruism. And the history of ideas vis-a-vis self-love has been progressing towards or revolving around self-interest, selfishness, craving for security and pleasure.


On the contrary, to conceive self-love in context of what Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Confucius had to say is truly a virtue of harmonious intelligence, which may be conceptualized or felt as the fundamental principle for compassion towards each and every creature. It must be understood in context of "reverence of life", what Albert Schweitzer pronounced with a sense of sensibility. In his profoundest words, "until he (human being) extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace". The question, then, arises how could someone embrace each and every living and non-living existence as a part of his life and its realities. It is possible only through compassionate attitude; when one is ready to feel the cries of suffering, which are taking place within and around us. Only suffering and death are two great levelers, which ensure nobody is 'more equal than others" (George Orwell, Animal Farm). Compassion requires that one must love oneself in such a way that one can feel the sorrow and anguish of suffering, taking place in the lives of all the creatures. This sensibility is more profound and alive than being tolerant about differences. The sensibility of compassion may emerge once ego is forgotten in the intensity of self-love. The sense of individuation modernity is inculcating and nurturing, which appears to be a "culture of self or technology of self", what Michel Foucault discovered through his genealogical understanding of the history of self. 


The humankind has two alternatives at this juncture of modernity; either to accept the principle of self-love as a self-interested cravings at the cost of losing the value of care and empathy from the Universe or to embrace self-love as empathy, moral sentiment, or compassion, so as to dismantle the shackles of ego and possessive individuation. The continuation with the first choice has already produced some of the greatest catastrophes one can imagine, like depression, anxiety, loneliness, outgrowth of old age homes, depressing state of health of families, whereas couples are struggling for empty wars of ego, children are feeling neglected, people of old age are struggling to be integrated in the general milieu of society. The "production mentality" has defiled Earth through environmental catastrophes. People are struggling for no good reason. The Market-logic is pervading as a brooding law to provide quick solution for every ethical question. Isn't it possible to embrace compassion towards self and other creatures? How can someone be compassionate towards each and every creature without visualizing their existence in one self? This is what I mean by self-love, contrary to what Adam Smith had to say in The Wealth of Nations or what Darwin or Hobbes propounded in their works. It's the choice to choose between Hobbes and Buddha. One appears to be practical ideologue and other one as innocent saint. Indeed, these two names are the two alternative rivers to swim and embrace. And the Buddha's way is a real possibility.

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