Presents! Presents! Gimme gimme gimme!

Anyone who denies that this thought doesn’t pass through their head during this season is a liar. Sure, they may genuinely believe in the whole "giving, not receiving", or, even more amazingly, may find an actual religious significance (perish the thought!) In December 25, but somewhere in the back of their mind, they get the occasional flash of selfishness.

I, for one, see no problem in wanting something. Selfishness, when used in moderation, leads to self-empowerment and can upgrade a person’s position in the world. Of course, there needs be something other than greed to a personality, but that’s where the concept of "moderation" comes into play. If a person spends all his time giving, giving, giving, without ever doing something for himself, he’ll wind up drained, depressed, and miserable. He’ll be left bitter and cynical, with irrational animosity directed towards those who don’t live up to his unrealistic standards.

We compare ourselves to each other. It’s a general fact of life. Status is found through comparison. And if a person tries to set a certain standard for himself, he’ll inevitably find himself questioning those standards when he finds that nobody else shares them in the remotest sense. When a person finds doubts, especially with himself, sparks fly, internally. Internal confusion causes agitation. In short, the ultimate realization that a decided course of life isn’t up to snuff breeds resentment.

Think of it this way... a person spends his life thinking that homosexuals are evil. "God hates fags" and all that. They are so utterly convinced that this is so that they cannot even comprehend the alternative as a possibility. However, they finally begin to see that nobody else shares their views. "Why’s everyone else coddling these abominations?" they ask. What do they do, in order to feel secure about themselves? Why, they go find a kid, probably gay (in their thinking), drag him around from their truck, then tie him to a fence and leave him to die.

I know. Extreme example. Aren’t they fun?

Anyway, we see that people have a need for validation. They have a need to be secure in their self-esteem, even if it kills them. They have a need to know that whatever they’re doing, whatever choices they make, whatever mentality they have, they’re doing the right thing. So what’s a person to do?

Why, they surround themselves with people that agree with them.

It’s not a matter of friendship. It’s not a matter of "developing a rapport". It’s a matter of being able to continue looking at oneself in the mirror. If a person goes and does something that might be questionable, they don’t go and ask people "Was that wrong?" They go and ask people, "Wasn't that right?" And of course, they only ask people who will say "Yes" to the latter question.

Because, just as a little bit of greed is inherent to some people, so is a lot of cowardice. After all, who really wants to go looking for evidence that they might be a "bad person"? It’s a disturbing notion to even think about, much less seriously pursue. Self-delusion is a trillion-dollar-a-year industry, with billions of employees across the planet.

From time-to-time, a person sees something that they want, and all they need to do is reach out and grab it. All they do is step on a few toes in the process... and the benefits most likely outweigh those toes. Who cares about all the little people that get screwed over in the process of self-enhancement?

The ends justify the means, ladies and gentlemen. Merry Christmas.