It's a question I have asked myself many a time. Or more specifically, I sometimes look at certain people, who go through life never caring about others, with only themselves in mind; the stereotypical frat bro, jock, princess, what have you; and I wonder what it would be like. To never be burdened with the question of how your actions might affect someone else. To care only about your own well-being and pleasure. Because as cynical as I may be about humanity as a whole, I still have faith in my belief no one could do the things some people do, if only they understood the consequences. That is, I want to believe that, save for a very, very small minority, that no one makes the conscious choice to be evil, to be a horrible person.
This is why I could never be one of those people. Because whether I like it or not, I notice. I notice how an action might hurt someone. I notice that what I want may sometimes cause someone else misfortune. I notice, that while this life is most definitely not a zero-sum game, there are times where helping myself means holding someone else back.
Which brings us back to the real question behind these hypotheticals. Why do we care? Or perhaps the question is, why do we choose to do things that are not to our benefit, in order to help someone else out? After all, genetically speaking, shouldn't our main priority always be self-preservation?
This is something I've put a fair amount of thought into, and at least for myself, I think I have an answer. Other people may have their own reasons, but this is mine; pursuing my own happiness alone, with no consideration for others, will never be enough. In the end, it feels meaningless. It's not worth the trouble. Even if I could make myself happy, what would be the point? Why should I care?
This has nothing to do with a lack of self esteem. I don't want anyone to think that any of this means I have an issue with self worth. It is simply that, when one looks at the grander scheme of things, personal advancement alone becomes so minute. No, what I need is the ability to impact not just my own life, but the lives of others as well. Because life is not a zero-sum game. And so, it should be possible in the end to improve not just yourself, but those around you as well.
This is why I care. This is why I give a damn. And this is why I will never stop giving a damn. Because if at the end of my life, I can say that I have had a positive influence on even just one other soul, then I can die happy, knowing that there are now two people with marks in the win column, and not just one.
