After the Bennies

One concept to keep in mind is that we are all little tyrants. Yes there are those who claim to be selfless but in the end we all pursue what is going to bring happiness to ourselves. Even in the example of a God giving his son, he still wants love from us and his son endured for the joy set before him. Neither act can be considered selfless. When we look at what is just, we have to look at what is good for both parties. Those who claim self-sacrifice usually take pleasure in having people think they are that way. It is still a form of self- interest and the pursuit of a pleasure.

The reason for making this point is to show that self-interest isn't a bad thing. Where it goes bad is when a person pursues his pleasure the wrong way. Affection should be for the right person, at the right time, under the right conditions, for the right reasons and in the right amounts. What makes something bad is when it becomes destructive to either person’s happiness. There is nothing wrong with having affection toward somebody. But it is in the application and the timing.

When a car goes into a slide the best chance of recovery is to relax and go with it. Over-correction will cause a person to lose control. To point fingers and find fault can cause more damage than simply examining things at their face value and making adjustments. If you say that someone is being selfish, I would ask what you are wanting out of it.  That is what justice is all about, finding solutions that benefit every party involved. People who are reasonable will take what is due them and will make sure the other person gets what they are due also. There are things that cause people to become unreasonable and we will examine them later.

It is the essence of virtue to both know what is beneficial and to do those things. Sometimes a person knows the right thing and doesn't do it while others simply don’t understand. Someone given to vice will pursue immediate gratification with no thought about how it affects well-being. A person who truly loves doesn't avoid gratification but will consider the effects of what he does toward the well-being of others first. We all admire a considerate person. His pleasure comes more from giving happiness over gratifying desires. Both people are pursuing pleasure; the former’s acts will be destructive while the latter will be beneficial.