Can You Be Consciously Self-Centered?

This week in class, we read a speech by David Foster Wallace called “This Is Water,” which focused on how one should try to remove unconscious self-centeredness, or “water” in Wallace’s words. He compared complete self-centeredness and, if I shall name it, complete others-centeredness to emphasize the superiority of the latter. However when reading, it made me believe more that it would be extremely hard, if not impossible, to be 100% on either end of the spectrum. Although I am almost certain that Wallace made his argument with this thought in mind, I find myself disagreeing with his saying that one should be able “to sacrifice for [others]” (Wallace 237).

Just like Wallace stated, it is just natural for human beings to be self-centered; in fact, self-centeredness is what maintains life in this world. Imagine a lion chasing a deer. The lion would not be blamed for taking another animal’s life, nor would the deer be blamed for the lion’s starvation. Of course, this example is somewhat extreme, and wild animals do not have the many options that are available to humans. In that sense, humans are already the most empathetic living beings out there, in the way that we promote the preservation of other life forms on earth. My point is that caring for others should be built upon the fact that one’s own needs are already satisfied. A rich man would not donate all of his belongings so that he becomes poor and homeless. A woman would not work endlessly without sleeping so that she becomes extremely sick and tired. People can only make others stronger if they themselves are strong enough to care for the ones around them, which is why it is only reasonable for one to take care of some personal needs before trying to attend to those around him/her.

Moreover, just as you care for the ones around you, there will always be people who also care for you. If you were to make sacrifices to help others, it might actually make them feel worse from the guilt of robbing you of your needs. By being aware of this, one can learn to take care of oneself before others, or be “consciously self-centered” which would actually help benefit others better.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 1, 2017 at 7:52 PM

    Like most things in life, extremes are never good. I totally agree with the fact that we should've be completely selfless or selfish, but instead somewhere in the middle. Most people can't dedicate their lives to helping others and at the same time shouldn't be so self-centered. Both of these conditions create a bad quality of life. Balance's important in life. :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interpretation of Maus: Vladek Wearing a Mask

Image
(panel 2 on page 64 of Maus by Art Spiegelman) On page 64 of Art Spiegelman’s Maus is a scene of Vladek trying to get on a train by pretending to be Polish. The panel is shaped as a circle, a motif which in class we have interpreted to represent the wheel of Vladek’s bicycle and a cycle back into his memories. The circle, however, can also represent the round spectacles that Vladek is wearing in the present time. Just like his glass eye, the lenses also signify how Vladek’s view of the world is largely shaped by his past memories in Poland. As this panel shows Vladek viewing his memories through the circular lenses, it also parallels with the page’s focus of how racism creates bias. The train man, who was a Pole, only helped Vladek because he saw Vladek as another Pole. The circular lens represents how some view the world with “lenses” clouded by their racial prejudice. This flaw is highlighted especially because Maus focuses on the Holocaust, a catastrophe caused wholly
Read more

Can Derogatory Words Have Positive Meanings?

Image
In class this week, we had a short discussion on how certain words should belong to certain groups of individuals. In Song of Solomon , even Guitar, the character who is most protective of the African American race, used the n-word when saying how “every [white person] is a potential nigger-killer”(Morrison 155). It had always been something I knew subconsciously, how the n-word is only used when African Americans tease one another, or how the b-word is only used among good friends. However, I had never liked the idea of any derogatory words being used at all. I considered the n-word one of the greatest taboo words in our culture, and yet its frequent uses by the black community make the word impossible to ignore even in present days. The same goes for the b-word, even though some women do not get offended being called with the b-word or c-word. After doing some research, however, my perspectives began changing. While the n-word originated from slave owners, the ones who looke
Read more