“Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.”
This quote is from one of the writings of Lau Tzu. Lau Tzu was a Chinese sage and philosopher who was born in the 6th century BC. He is considered to be the founder of Taoism and is generally credited as the author of the Tao Te Ching.
In reading Lau Tzu’s words, I can’t help but notice how they offer guidance which is directly contrary to that which is promoted by many aspects of modern American culture. Much of what is on the internet, many movies and TV shows, and abundant advertising emphasize accumulating more belongings, having larger homes, upgrading to the latest technology, going on expensive vacations, and so on.
I respect the guidance of the entire quote, but in this post I’m going to focus on the words “Reduce selfishness.” Each of us can do this by considering the needs of others rather than focusing only on our needs and wants. Hopefully, we are already doing this within our families and regarding other loved ones. But we can extend our endeavor to be less selfish by keeping in mind the needs of other people we don’t know, for we are all part of the human family. And by keeping in mind the many worthy causes that help to improve the lives of others. One way to support such programs is by volunteering our time, abilities, and talents. Another is by donating money to help those programs to continue to assist others. Among the numerous additional ways to be generous with our time are visiting people who are in assisted living programs, nursing homes, and hospitals; being mentors to new employees at our jobs; and helping with fundraisers for activities in which our children participate—the list goes on and on.
Selfishness is also present on societal and national levels. Legislators who pass laws that favor wealthy people and corporations; decisions to not fund programs that provide services, including health, nutrition, and educational services, to people in our own country who cannot otherwise afford those services and also to those who live in poor countries; and policies that deny or downplay the dangers of climate change are some of the many ways wealthier countries are selfish.
There’s another phenomenon to consider regarding selfishness. In dealing with our tendency to overdo accumulating belongings, we should ask ourselves whether our desire (and sometimes compulsion) to have more and more materially might be a substitute for satisfying inner needs of which we are unaware. For this often underlies such behavior. It is essential to try to discern the guidance of our inner voice in order to make changes that lead to personal growth, which naturally includes becoming more generous. Doing so will be far more meaningful and fulfilling than the temporary gratification we feel when we acquire additional material items.
All of us need to look within and acknowledge the ways we are selfish and then to make efforts to become more selfless. By doing so, we will “reduce selfishness,” as Lau Tzu encourages us to do. And by doing so, we will share the gifts of time, abilities, and talents that have been given to us by our Creator and thus will do what we are called to do.