No matter how much I am committed to my views, I am even more committed to the idea that they should be able to stand up to rational scrutiny. This commitment means nothing if I actively avoid serious challenge and only seek out confirming viewpoints.
ReadWe do not need to choose between altruism and egotism because living the good life benefits ourselves and others.
ReadSeeing others act selflessly makes us feel guilty about our own failures to be as virtuous. It’s far easier to dismiss the apparent selflessness of others than it is to challenge our own very real selfishness.
ReadIf a lighthouse could think, it might marvel at how all the light in the world focused its beam on it. For us humans, it often feels the same. Since we can only see what is in our field of vision, hear what is in earshot and touch what is within reach, it is natural to feel that we are more at the centre of things than we objectively are. Whether you are in the spotlight or you are the spotlight, everything centres on you.
ReadWhat makes us feel better faster isn’t necessarily the right thing to do. To move on too quickly is surely to teach people entirely the wrong lesson: that behaving badly is no big deal, because people soon get over it anyway.
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