Self-Interest

Practical humanism is not about piety. It is about pursuing healthy self-interest on the road to mindfulness and compassion. By self-interest, I mean the ongoing interest in discovering, nurturing and developing myself.

Some readers of this blog seem to think I am preaching here. My anti-clergy reflex triggers a minor panic attack deep within me whenever I hear this implied. I am practicing here. I am sharing my reflections on my humanism here. That's all, folks.

The chronic association of doing good primarily with religion is unfortunate. It will take a long time for this to pass. I believe it will pass if more and more human beings ascend from fiscal and intellectual poverty through education. My practical humanism is as far from religion as I can get. And I have traveled several roads to get this far away from religion.

There is nothing selfish or greedy about self-interest unless it is pursued at the unwilling and/or unjust expense of others. The ethical psychotherapist may advance her self-interest by making a living and also by profiting from some of the insights of her patients. Her patient advances his self-interest by utilizing her skilled caring and insights. This is an exchange which benefits both, as long as it is honest and equitable.

When self-interests are centered on possessing material wealth under capitalism, this model changes. The accumulation of capital is competitive, not cooperative. The concept is: Give less to get more. This underlies the concept of profit. As a practical humanist in a capitalist society, achieving my self-interest to survive and grow is complicated. I am playing by a different set of rules than those who are materialists or hedonists. They see their self-interests as the accumulation of more and more at the expense of faceless others. Unfortunately, I am swimming with sharks while paddling along my humanist way.

The challenges posed by capitalist aggression to my humanist approach to daily life can be overcome. Mindfulness of my real needs and compassion for those consumed by materialism serve me well. By serving my self-interests in maintaining my practice every day, I am so far able to meet my needs without causing injury or engaging in materialism. When I foster my self-interests of health and well being, I am more capable to attend to the needs of others as I encounter them. Learning to do both of these things is what practice is all about for me.