On the Difference Between Being Selfless and Selfish

Just a short rant that's been bugging me over the weekend.


This is the line that has been drawn in the BC Teacher's Dispute (it's gone way past just being a 'strike' in my opinion).

Its that line between being selfish and selfless.

Teachers, by their definition are selfless - they, along with the thousands of others in health care, social services and non-profit volunteer agencies are selfless. Its an admirable trait we say. I could never do it, say others.

Yet look at them, out on strike - being selfish. They should be ashamed of themselves, holding the future of our children hostage.

You know who says that? Selfish people.

Don't get me wrong. We need selfish people - they are the ones that see the Big Picture in a different way. They see the necessity of pain and sacrifice (usually for others, not themselves). They are the ones that think the other person is the asshole and stopping the evolution of progress. Selfish people are the ones that cause change immediately, they shout and scream and break things, such as contracts, laws, weaker people. Selfish people are the ones that expect to be paid first and wouldn't have it any other way. They might contribute to charity; if you don't know, don't worry- they will tell you. They are the politicians, the financial wizards, the ones that are in mid-management positions and won't risk a thing for the betterment of all because they have everything to lose, which in reality is nothing truly tangible; it's an intangible. It's their sense of self.

If those selfish people were to suddenly become selfless, they would lose their sense of identity, the anchor of their entire value system.

It's a rare person who can balance the selfish side of the ego with the selfless side; Jim Iker has that in spades. Fassbender and Clark don't. They are selfish-heavy. While they may believe that they are doing what's best for BC, the enormity of the situation and the facts against them, the other options they have, the lack of selflessness in their decisions showcase not only the crutch of this dispute but also the values system that we are leaning towards; a values system leaning on individuality, not society.

 So while Clark and Fassbender and their sheeple tell you that the teachers are being selfish; be mad. They represent those members of society that lead by their selflessness. Your nurse is underpaid and overworked in comparison to your doctor. Your welfare worker is underpaid and overworked compared to the middle manager formulating budgets and cutting services. Your teacher is underpaid and overworked in comparison to your financial adviser.

It is time for the selfless to start being selfish. Being selfless is now no longer an honorable trait to have, only a trait for the selfish to exploit.

And once the selfish see that you no longer care what they think; that you too are willing to be selfish for the Big Picture, then things will change. Just don't look in the mass media for your messiah - they can only be found in the mirror.