It is important to note that the message that is shared across the world is that of focusing on personal interests rather than those of the community in general. Often you hear people telling others to mind their own business when questioned about their decisions and actions. This is clear indication that the world has embraced the idea of pursuing own interest regardless of its impact to the society. I thought that I was selfless but upon sober assessment of my beliefs, I now see that I am far from that. For starters, I have always thought that the most enjoyable things in life are the best.
Therefore, I have been making choices depending on how much pleasure I am going to get and those that give more pleasure are highly preferred. For instance, at school I chose subjects and co-curricular activities which I enjoyed the most. Also, this perception dictates how and why we relate with others in the society. The fact that people are different affects the way we perceive pleasurable things (Shafer-Landau, 2019). In many instances, our choices differ because what one perceives as enjoyable is not enjoyable for another. In this light, it is clear that decisions made on this basis could be immoral. For instance, many young people engage in fornication and drug abuse in pursuit of pleasure and given the chance they would wish that morality accommodated such conduct.
Consider other circumstances when pursuit of pleasure can lead to bad or poor decisions. As a child, the protection and care provided by parents or guardians shields many people from the harsh reality of the world until they are in their adulthood. As such, a child can ask for anything from their parents as long as it is labeled safe for them. However, as we grow up we realize that we cannot get all the pleasures we want and they are costly too. I remember when I was small I owned many car toys and it was always fun playing with them. Today, it would give me a lot of pleasure to own a Lamborghini but I will be forced to steal it because I cannot afford. There are many other incidents where our pursuit of pleasure contradicts with social morality. As a result, I have started addressing my problems from a broad point of view to ensure I live right.
Apart from trying to redefine pleasure and the things that give pleasure, it also occurred to me that the things we consider to be good may not be right. Of course, in this regard anything that provides pleasure is good and that which does not is bad. Good may also refer to what the society or an individual says is good. My definition of good is anything that is of and adds great value to people, either individually or generally (Shafer-Landau, 2019). This belief, however, is also not consistent with changing times and situations. Differences in personalities of people are a normal phenomenon which directly influences personal behavior and preferences. As a result, differences between the good and bad of different people are expected.
Again different communities have different definitions of good and bad things. For instance, homosexuality is appreciated by some while others are greatly offended by its existence. As a result people from these two different communities will have varied definitions of good and bad. This creates a need for one to critically analyze values passed onto them by the society and determine their essence and validity. Going back to the thought of owning a Lambo now, it may be good to get it. However, there are times when the things we want can cause others harm. For example, during the colonial times the British wanted a source of cheap labor hence they turned to slavery. The labor provided was good, but enslaving other human beings is morally wrong.
Self-interest is the main factor which influences our decision-making process. According to Shafer-Landau (2019), people want to do and own things which give them joy and optimal pleasure. Some of these pleasurable things may be wrong according to social norms but people will still put their pleasure first. On the other hand, getting what we want is not always good because it may be at the cost of harming others. Since it comes as an instinct to put own interests before those of other people, people can be said to be typically selfish. However, man cannot exist a lone and the same society teaches us to embrace one another even in our pursuit of selfish gains.
Despite many people agreeing to the need of staying united, seldom do we consider the impacts of our decisions and actions on the society at large. Even when helping others, most of us do so for the returns expected for such acts of kindness. Politicians do it to gain more favor in the eyes of the electorate, and not merely as a sincere act of kindness. Others are even keen in choosing the people they want around them often sidelining those from whom we expect little such as the disabled. Before, I had programmed my life depending on what I want but upon self-reflection I have realized that some of the items in that least are not really necessary. This is not to say that self-interests are to be overlooked but to insist the importance of thinking through the decisions we make.