There are two things which the progressive-socialist-communist mind-set seems to confuse: Self-interest and selfishness. It almost always labors under the mistaken idea that these two things are congruent. And its greater error is to hold that capitalism is a selfish system whereas socialism and communism are immune to this.
Selfishness, greed and envy are always condemned in the Bible. Self-interest, on the other hand, is understood as a natural and good quality. Both the “Golden Rule,” and the insistence that we must “love our neighbor as we love ourselves,” imply the principle of self-interest.
If one does not love oneself, then the command to love your neighbor as yourself would be meaningless gibberish. Certainly, we are to love ourselves and to seek our own welfare and preservation. The Apostle Paul even states as an axiom: “No one ever hated his own body” (Ephesians 5:29).
This brings us back to the consideration of self-interest. I believe that self-interest is not only my desire to protect myself and to seek my own welfare, but also extends to the same interests for those near and dear to me: My family.
Selfishness, on the other hand, implies that I am greedy and envious. I want things for myself only, without any consideration of how others are affected. By the way, this is a trait common to humans, and is not limited to any political system.
Riley T. Jay
Seneca
Opinion
Voices: Mistaken idea
- Opinion
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Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
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Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
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Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
Editor’s note: In addition to speeches by President Barack Obama and Gov. Jay Nixon, Joplin High School’s top students addressed graduates, faculty, parents and other guests packed into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Missouri Southern State University campus. Following are the text of those speeches.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
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Your View: ‘Study’ can mean anything
A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
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Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
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Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
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Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
My oldest granddaughter was part of the class of 2012 from Joplin High School, and I attended the ceremony on Monday night.
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Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
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Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
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Our View: Victims should come first
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