Selfishness vs. Selflessness

I know that I raved about Ayn Rand in my recent history, and then I have heard so much negative critique to her principle that I have to write for my own mind my thoughts about selfishness and selflessness.

As a Christian I have been taught to turn the other cheek, to act in selfless love. What struck me about Ayn Rand's philosophy on selfishness is that it is to keep people from needlessly sacrificing others and needlessly sacrificing themselves you must act on some selfishness. My final revelation on selfishness comes down to arriving at a place of loving yourself and self peace. I think once you have reached this point you will never sacrifice yourself and don't need to think about yourself anymore. I have found the extreme value of seeing yourself through your own eyes. Knowing that you are valuable and a champion because you know you are a person of value and integrity. This way you will never use other people to feel that way or to make yourself happy.

This is how compassion can grow. The characters in Ayn Rand's book, while sticking to their bottom line, are not compelling people to me. They are soulless, bound by objectivity. People like Sunitha Krishnan, who is fighting to stop the child sex trade in India, are so much more compelling. She is passionate about something, and not just for appearances, she has a heart and soul of compassion, and a deep sense of who she is and the respect her and her cause deserve. In this way, she naturally draws people to her. She is lit from within. She leaves me and many, many others with a deep sense of wonder.

Yeah, Ayn Rand's characters are great people on some levels, but because they are unwilling to sacrifice ANYTHING for anyone else, they are hard and dead. Humanity, life, love are all unable to be completely objective, and that is what actually makes it even more beautiful. Take advantage of that ability to love, to believe that hope is possible, that dreams are possible. Be like Sunitha Krishnan, a vessel of truth and love that doesn't just cause change and achieve great things but compels it. What could be more valuable, more fulfilling, and more lasting.