On Self-Interest

A powerful question that I have been grappling with the last few years is: Who am I living for? I’ve been grappling with this ever since I’ve begun considering the possibility that this life is all we get. The answer that I have settled on for now is: myself. When I think about what it means to live for myself I no longer need to stress whether or not my actions make others happy. My life is my own. Why? Because I say so. I want my life to be my own, and my actions to serve my own ends. I am not ashamed to write this. Or this: My world revolves around me. Or this: If your behavior is incompatible with my desired ends, the meeting of my needs, then you are dispensable. Or this: I only want people in my life that are instrumental in the meeting of my needs. Or this: I don’t owe anyone a damn thing; I will work for what I want and seize every opportunity to make my life more fulfilling. Call it selfishness or call it enlightenment. What you think is irrelevant. And that’s today’s two cents.

Skyler.
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Founder and editor of Everything-Voluntary.com and UnschoolingDads.com, Skyler is a husband and unschooling father of three beautiful children. His writings include the column series “One Voluntaryist’s Perspective” and “One Improved Unit,” and blog series “Two Cents“. Skyler also wrote the books No Hitting! and Toward a Free Society, and edited the books Everything Voluntary and Unschooling Dads. You can hear Skyler chatting away on his podcasts, Everything Voluntary and Thinking & Doing.