There is a notion that spiritual people become selfless, caring about others while not caring about themselves. This is true and not true. It is worthwhile to look at it from a much deeper perspective. Consider the possibility:
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It can be wise for people on the spiritual path to think of themselves not as selfless, but as selfish!
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It can be argued that every step of the way, everything everybody does, is in fact, completely selfish. If someone jumps in front of a car to save another person’s life, the bumps and bruises won’t feel good, but the love or nobility that motivated the gesture in that person’s own eyes outweighs the discomfort.
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A selfless act can be viewed as being performed because it makes us feel good —loving, noble, justified, righteous, etc. This is not a bad thing.
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If we didn’t feel that way, we wouldn’t do it. So in that sense, the most selfless act is actually selfish. However in a very literal sense, you are one with everything. This is not in just a philosophical or emotional sense.
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As you evolve, you more and more directly experience that what you do to the environment and others, you do to yourself. You are one with everything.
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In this regard, selfish acts become completely selfless. Likewise, selfless acts are completely selfish. The Self has expanded to include all things.
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Selfishness will not and need not go away. The Self needs only to expand to include what was formerly considered to be the non-self.
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Selflessness and selfishness then cease to contradict one another; in fact they become one and the same. This does not work as a philosophy to adhere to or an attitude to align with. It is a natural attribute of the individual as that person becomes more transgradiently integrated.
