25-08 - Flipbook - Page 48
Mi n i str i es
Here’s an article from the BBC which gives a worldly/human perspective on selfishness. As
believers we know that our biggest struggle is with selfishness and that we are not innately good.
By ourselves we would be completely self-centered. To read all of it follow the source link.
Why you are not as selfish as you think
Science suggests we are hardwired for altruism, but do we really need to be thinking of others
all the time?
Whenever I fly, one line jumps out from the pre-flight safety briefing. Somewhere between
"welcome aboard" and "use this whistle for attracting attention", we're reminded to "put on
your own oxygen mask before helping others".
This is, essentially, an official instruction to be "selfish". And it is sage advice if there's an emer-
gency at 33,000ft and 550mph (10,000m and (890km/h). If the cabin depressurises, you won't
be able to assist others if you black out from oxygen starvation.
But on the other hand, in a world that often seems to reward narcissism, there could be a risk
that that same line speaks to a somewhat troubling life philosophy. The idea that you should
always put yourself first 3 and that selfishness trumps altruism.
Individualism was defined by social psychologist Geert Hofstede as "the extent to which people feel independent, as opposed to being interdependent as members of larger wholes". And
in many parts of the world, particularly the West, individualism is not only endemic, but increasingly on trend. The question is whether that's a good thing or not.
Elements of psychology, economics and biology 3 not least the ideas of selfish genes and neoDarwinism 3 have normalised the assumption that competition means humans are intrinsically cruel, ruthless or selfish, says Steve Taylor, a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University. But while we clearly can all be selfish 3 our brain's first job, after all, is arguably to keep us
alive 3 he adds that new research paints a more optimistic picture, challenging the somewhat
gloomy notion that we only ever prioritise ourselves.
Take the "bystander effect", which first emerged in the 1960s. This is the widely cited idea that
people typically avoid intervening in a crisis when others are nearby. The theory followed outrage over the 1964 New York murder of Kitty Genovese, a 28-year-old bartender who
was reportedly raped and killed in front of nearly 40 witnesses, none of whom helped.
But the final detail of the story behind the "bystander effect" appears to be an apocryphal one.
While, tragically, Genovese really was sexually assaulted and murdered, investigations suggest
that reports of there being 38 passive bystanders were inaccurate. One 2007 paper, for example, stated there was no evidence that any people witnessed Genovese's murder and simply
did nothing. The story, the researchers surmised, was a "modern parable, the telling of which
has served to limit the scope of inquiry into emergency helping".
Matt Warren
