Article April 30, 2018 Issue

Being unselfish includes you, too

Ellen Seusy

Most people who yearn to be kind know the difference between selfishness and unselfishness. And most of us would agree that unselfishness truly makes us happier! But unselfishness can sometimes make us feel as though we’re shortchanging ourselves as we’re looking out for other people’s needs or interests. The limitations of human logic often involve binary thinking, in which the only options appear to offer no middle ground, presenting us with uncomfortable dilemmas, sometimes again and again. Such polarized thinking could have us swinging between extremes of selfishness and unselfishness, perhaps going from ignoring others to giving until we feel drained—and then back again.

Such reasoning is based on the material view of people as independent mortals separated from God and competing with each other for His care. But is this an accurate view? Christian Science teaches that each distinct and lovable individual is completely spiritual and fully connected to God, who is one infinite Spirit. From this standpoint, we can see that God is able to care for every one of His children—all of us—all at once. And this then makes us able to effectively relate to each other since, as God’s children, we reflect His goodness and love.

In her Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, Mary Baker Eddy writes, “If the premise of mortal existence is wrong, any conclusion drawn therefrom is not absolutely right. Wisdom in human action begins with what is nearest right under the circumstances, and thence achieves the absolute” (p. 288).

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