Always acting in our best interests?

Aren’t you acting in your best interests? Doesn’t everyone, always, think that they’re acting in their best interests? Obviously this isn’t the case, but shouldn’t it be? Doesn’t it make sense, and wouldn’t it be the only natural manner of existence, if this were true?

Do you think that you are acting in your best interests while you are in the middle of acting? (And isn’t it interesting how the meaning of that word shifts around when referring to the things that we do outside of our heads every day?) While we are in the middle of doing something, anything, don’t we think or feel on some level that what we are doing will in some way, ultimately, benefit us?

Well, here’s a question: do you feel that you are, right now as you read this, acting in your best interests? Am I? Do I think that sitting here, writing this is in my best interests? Yes, somewhere inside of myself I obviously believe that doing this is a good thing, that my resources, which are limited, are literally worth spending on this. But are all of our actions so logically governed? When we stay out all night drinking, or run back into the arms of a person who has repeatedly hurt us, or eat candy, or watch most of what’s on tv, are we really, honestly believing that somewhere, in some way these activities will ultimately pan out in our favor?

And if the answer is no, then why do we do them?

5 Comments

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  3. ALP says:

    I think we do every thing in self interest which may or may not be in our Best interest

    • dbstory says:

      If you mean that sometimes it’s a good thing to act according to our own self interest, and sometimes obviously not, I agree.

      But how difficult a time do you have striking a balance (in terms of your actions) that feels like what you’d describe as ‘healthy’?

      Sometimes I find that very hard – usually leaning toward one end of the spectrum or the other.

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