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Dr.J · Joined: 09 May 2003 Posts: 304 Location: usually Japan

Altruism. "Selfish" basically means "one person gains so that others lose"

So, if you gain, and others gain, then it's not selfish. Of course, it may mean that your character is selfish (ie. if there was the possibility that others might lose and you gain you would take it).

But then, people are selfish in this sense, it just happens that what makes us selfishly feel good is being unselfish, which is very fortunate for the human race!

I think about Buddhism from time to time, but I wonder, what's wrong with feeling good about doing good things? If we are to accept the nature of our enemies, why not accept our own nature too? What's so great about becoming an unconscious agent?

Sorry for going a little off topic and possibly repeating stuff people have already said.

once again · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 815

I think the major reason people rail about the bush administration more is that certain key members were on record as supporting a war against IRAQ as "positve" intervention before September 11 ever happened. Is was an avowed goal of theirs. So know it seems that September 11 provided a reason for them being able to carry out that goal.