In our best interest

...even from the most rigorous scientific perspective, unselfishness and concern for others are not only in our own best interests but also, in a sense, innate to our biological nature.
-Dalia Lama

Hmm!  We go through life creating and maintaining this idea of  a little self we use to make sense of our world with.  We attempt to give it all we believe is necessary to make it happy: material abundance, recognition, special people, and some form of socially determined success.  We build borders and walls around it, separating it from others. We defend it and we attack to protect it. In so doing....we are very "little self -centered but we are not Self centered.

Say what?

This little self we created is just an idea of "me, my, and mine".  It isn't real.  It is just a mental construct.  Who you really are is real and exists beyond anything your mind can create. This being is not a little self but the Self.

Sometimes we tap into Self and feel an "Oh Wow!"  We feel love and peace and joy. We have this overwhelming openness and compassion for everything and everyone.  This is the experiencing of a reality in the present moment, here and now. We have tapped into our innate biological nature.  This is who we are and this is how we are supposed to feel.

But.... (you knew there was going to be a but, right???)....

We often can not feel Self because the little self has us pointed in the wrong direction, away from who we really are. We  spend most of our lives with our backs turned away from this pure and natural state of being.  All the things we think and do to keep "little self" going, get in the way of us experiencing this reality of who we are. We become selfish and our concern for others gets muffled by our need to provide for and protect the demanding "me".

When we are feeling unselfishness and concern for others we are operating from the true Self. It is within our best interest to do so because it feels amazing to be who we are!

All is well