From a very young age we are taught to be selfless-we are not to consider our own interests over those of another.

This ancient ideology does not work in an enlightened society. Being selfless has not brought the world to a place of peace. In fact a highly evolved being would never consider the interests of another before his own. It is no compatible within the awareness of we are all one.

Although we may belief this world is not a perfect world-this belief comes from an unenlightened world. The world is perfect the way it is, because we have made it that way and we had absolute authority and choice to make it anyway we desired. Each of our individual thoughts contributes to the circumstances we are experiencing now. Every time we externalize our thoughts we create separation, and a dualistic world cannot "be one." Selfless works in this kind of a world because it is focused on ego, and ego is concerned only about what it knows in the physical world. Ego also wants you to validate its existence-it longs to be recognized and maintained. Therefore you must do things for it because its needs come before yours. This is the paradox of living the dualistic life. And it is shrouded in darkness and ignorance.

You hear the expression often-"we are all one," but what does it mean? It simply means like the waves of an ocean we are individualized peaces of the ocean maintaining all the attributes and characteristics of the main body but in different shapes and sizes. Although we live within the illusion we are not separate, we are internally connected.

We know sooner or later all water returns to the ocean-all things return to the whole. To be one with the whole, the part must be as the whole-therefore it is in the best interests of the part to maintain its integrity so it can be joined once again.

In the greater picture the one can only be responsible for itself. Whatever is best for it is best for the whole and its individualized pieces. When I, as one of those pieces am selfish, I maintain my integrity. If I see myself as a caring and helpful person, I may want to consider the connection between myself and the one I wish to help. I am doing it selfishly so I can maintain my purpose and declare myself as caring and helpful-I am being true to myself first. If I do not know myself as caring and helpful and I reach out to help, I deny my very existence. I am being something other than what I am. I deny myself and my connection to the whole. When I act selfishly and within the purpose of my worldly experience I am acting for the whole as an individualized peace of the whole that from free choice chooses to be a certain way. This is consistent with the purpose of the creator-to experience physical life in all of its aspects.

In an enlightened society each individual acts selfishly because he knows "we are all one" and all things are perfect the way they are. Whenever he considers himself, he is considering the whole and all its parts. If he considers it to be in his best interest from a higher level of understanding to choose to help someone-he will, because it is consistent with the purpose of the whole.

Therefore it is consistent with the whole to protect all of its parts. It also knows it must respect the wishes or purpose of each of its individualized pieces. Through this autonomy it protects its own purpose which is to experience life in all its possibilities. The purpose of each part is to bring that experience back to the whole-each soul is a different possibility. In an enlightened society each part would act in the best interests of another because it is in his best interest first. With this higher awareness of who we are and what our purpose is, we would stop teaching our children to be selfless. We would teach them that "we are all one" and what we do to another, we do to ourselves. It is as the right hand smiting the left-you just don't do it. It is the hand that feeds the mouth, it just makes good sense.

Selflessness is a denial of self because it leads away from self, unless one sees himself as selfless and it is what he wishes to experience. Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther and others epitomized selfishness-they worked within the image they had of themselves in relationship to others and their own purpose. They remained true to themselves-selfishly.

Selfishness without the awareness of ones higher purpose and connection does not work either. Selfishness is consistent with the attributes of the whole. Selfishness is consistent with the purpose of the whole as it is the purpose of the whole to experience all aspects of physical life through the experiences of each one of its parts-it does this selfishly.

If it is peace on earth we as a world body desire-it can be done selfishly in the higher awareness that we are all one. It cannot be done through selflessness-it hasn't worked over thousands of years and it is observable.

Roy E. Klienwachter http://www.klienwachter.com/BookInfo/Struggle/Salespage.htm