Whenever we make a choice, we do our best. We make a decision based on our interests. In other words, it’s selfish.
So what makes a choice a selfish act worth addressing?
There are two circles: the circle of us and the circle of now.
A selfish toddler keeps both circles very small. They care about right now, not later. They care about their parents or whomever is in the room. That’s it.
The toddler who draws all over the couch in black marker is having fun right now, and selfishly causing a problem for others, and for the future.
Smoking cigarettes is short-term selfish. The you of the future is unlikely to thank teenager-you for starting.
And raising parrots in your small apartment is a different sort of selfish. It’s not surprising that your neighbors will hope you stop.
You may have noticed that the world keeps getting smaller and it keeps going faster, which means we can see the circles we impact more clearly.
We admire adults who lead, who take the long view, and especially, who consider a larger circle. And thriving organizations and communities create the cultural conditions for people to choose to make their circles include more people and longer time frames.
Successful cultures embrace bigger circles.