Happy Holidays to all. I thought I’d take just a moment to look at a popular concept this time of year from a unique angle – the idea of giving. At Christmas we focus on giving, making others happy, showing our appreciation, blah, blah. Yet during the other 364 days of the year we focus on “getting” and make no bones about it. Its “dog eat dog, eat or be eaten, get it while the getting’s good, and nice guys (or gals) finish last.” Just look at our heroes: Donald Trump, Sam Walton, John D. Rockefeller and Warren Buffet – ruthless billionaires. We admire ruthlessness, tough-mindedness and persistence. In fact, we try to emulate these qualities. Hey, I don’t exclude myself. I can be as self absorbed as the next person. Many have said that selfishness is in our blood. They say that as humans we have had to cultivate a form of selfishness in order to thrive. Many have drawn the correlation to Darwin’s theory of evolution linking selfishness to the genetic evolution of a “selfish gene”. After all, even a school child knows that only the strong survive. Surely this connects nicely with Darwin’s theory of natural selection and the survival of the fittest. So let’s make that read, “Be a giver…the other 364 days of the year too!” Happy Holidays to all. It is an honor to have you as my subscribers. Mark Deo |
Selfish or Selfless?
Posted in Corporate Culture, Uncategorized.