Article October 8, 2007 Issue

Why care about the other person's well-being?

BY HANS-JOACHIM TRAPP

The rich in spirit help the poor
in one grand brotherhood,
all having the same Principle, or Father;
and blessed is that man who seeth
his brother's need and supplieth it,
seeking his own in another's good.

—Mary Baker Eddy
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 518

Today, self-improvement tops many people's list of priorities. People read books and take motivational courses on self-realization, self-fulfillment, self-awareness, and self-assertion. But when they focus on important qualities such as these in an unbalanced way, and without consideration for another person's progress and well-being, this can lead to self-centeredness, self-seeking, and self-pity. This, in turn, can produce self-destructiveness.