"Not even the man who betrays his fatherland is more to be condemned than the man who deserts the common good for the sake of his personal good or security."
-Cicero (Classics in Translation; Volume II, Page168)
This type of statement-more so an emphasis on responsibility to others and the common good, than the state or country- is fairly prevalent in our society. It is expected that one put the needs of others before those of themselves. The problem is that this is unnatural for humans. We have been taught, forced, to look out for ourselves since the beginning of time. Darwinism is founded upon "survival of the fittest"; those who are best equipped to succeed will. Thus, it is not natural for us to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others; it takes courage to do so. I think most would agree that they would put the needs of their loved ones ahead of their own, if it was necessary. If an emergency situation came, I am certain many parents would put themselves in harm's way in front of their children. In everyday situations, many people follow their own agenda instead of adapting to those close to them, much less a random person. It is admirable, yet rare, when people such as firefighters truly sacrifice themselves for the good of strangers.
-Cicero (Classics in Translation; Volume II, Page168)
This type of statement-more so an emphasis on responsibility to others and the common good, than the state or country- is fairly prevalent in our society. It is expected that one put the needs of others before those of themselves. The problem is that this is unnatural for humans. We have been taught, forced, to look out for ourselves since the beginning of time. Darwinism is founded upon "survival of the fittest"; those who are best equipped to succeed will. Thus, it is not natural for us to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others; it takes courage to do so. I think most would agree that they would put the needs of their loved ones ahead of their own, if it was necessary. If an emergency situation came, I am certain many parents would put themselves in harm's way in front of their children. In everyday situations, many people follow their own agenda instead of adapting to those close to them, much less a random person. It is admirable, yet rare, when people such as firefighters truly sacrifice themselves for the good of strangers.
"Thus, it is not natural for us to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others; it takes courage to do so" I purpose it is not courage, rather it is humility that puts our ego aside. "firefighters truly sacrifice themselves for the good of strangers" My son is a firefighter and when he performs a "heroic" deed. He is really doing something that he has trained for literally hundreds of hours to do. The unifying characteristic between these two statement is that my son can give of himself, in other words he is a humble man who has trained many hours to do his job. For most of us humility is a learned trait for my son it has been a gift since birth.
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