“Capitalism cannot reform itself; it is doomed to self-destruction. No universal selfishness can bring social good to all.”
~ W. E. B. Du Bois
Selfishness and selflessness anchor the opposite ends of our individual and collective human nature. Despite our most noble intentions, selfishness will always rear its ugly head to some degree, through every conceivable system and type of organization, from the most greed oriented company to the most Utopian vision of society. There is no escaping this reality.
Recognizing and managing the inherently selfish aspects of our human nature, is the key to minimizing their toxic effects. However, scapegoating the economic and political systems we’ve created as irreparably flawed, is often just another excuse for keeping the egocentric aspects of human nature in the shadows, where they inflict the most insidious forms of damage.
Ironically, it seems that our human behavior is more inflexible than the systems we’ve created to tame it. To reform anything for the betterment of humankind, we need to first reform ourselves.
© 2022 David M. Rubin. All rights reserved.
Notes from David 