I would like to state that this piece is my own opinion and everyone is entitle to theirs . So let me start off by saying that self- centredness and selfishness can be similar but not the same.
According to Merriam- Webster dictionary self-centeredness means " too interested in yourself and not caring about the needs or feelings of other people " while selfishness means " concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others"
The definition seem to be a little confusing but it is not . We are all self- centered. Hold on !!! Before you stop reading . Let me quickly say that I am very sane ( I know people will state otherwise) but it is the simple truth. There are 2 questions to this, the first one is HOW? Self-centeredness means you are centering everything around yourself , since you are going to be there for yourself as long as you live, you do not centre your life on someone or something that may not be there for you or be there for long . For instance , you are on a queue in the bank to get your money, the truth is ,nobody wants to spend a lot of time at the bank , let's assume you are the 3rd person on the queue, the cashier says the server is bad , the self-centeredness in it , is quickly joining the other available queue that has good server without thinking of other people on the first queue you are coming from. The other question is " IS IT BAD TO BE SELF-CENTRED?" No,it is not a bad thing , after all you know yourself more than anybody else , it is your life , it is only very natural that it revolves more around you and your happiness matters most . In the above example , it is not a bad thing to move from the former queue, because you know how urgent you need the money , you know there are other things to do and not just spending hours at the bank .
However , being selfish means you are paying overly too much attention on your wants , needs and well-being. For example , everyone wants a better and brighter future but the selfishness in it is when you want to be manipulative, cheat and be deceitful about getting what you want because you probably think you are the only one that needs it. The bad thing about being selfish is that "Selfishness hurts other people" it is immoral and not justified especially when it becomes too obvious and it is very irritating.
I understand that's how some people are and that circumstances ,events or the past has made them in that shape and form , but this attitude or attribute can be changed. It is very possible to be selfless and self-centered by making good decisions and impacts on yourself without hurting people . While you help people ,there are good outcome it brings to you too . I mean you can love others after loving yourself first. I am just trying to say that we can make ourselves happy without causing others pain . Let there be a balance.
Finally , Being self-centered can never be the same as being selfish . Take care of yourself first . Be your own centre of attraction. Lend a helping hand when you can. Remember that you are not the only one living on this planet "Earth" others play a role in it , for example , people sell the food you eat , people make the electricity you use , some people built the road you walk on . So therefore, as your life centers around you , life centers around other people too. Take control of your life without having evil thought about people . Make the world a better place for people just as you want it best for yourself .
