Selfishness

One trait that dominates our narcissistic generation is selfishness. The bigger our egos the more selfish we become. Thus, it begs to reason that traits that are becoming non-existent in modern society are humility and modesty. We have become a nation of individuals whose personalities do not develop past childhood. Narcissism and selfishness create massive barriers that are impossible to bridge. Narcissism is why politicians do what is best for them and not their constituents. Many times politician’s thirst for power leads to extramarital affairs or crime. Politicians abuse their power because they believe they have a sense of entitlement to satisfy their lustful egos.

We need to look no further than Hollywood to see narcissism at its best. For some reason the media gives Hollywood stars a pedestal to voice and display their ignorance. How many Hollywood stars have remained married to one person without having an extramarital affair? It is a low percentage and the reason is their massive egos and selfishness. Actors and actresses that have money and fame will routinely throw it all away in their quest for more power.

But no one has bigger egos and displays more selfishness than sport superstars that are supposedly role models for our children.

Tiger Woods makes hundreds of millions dollars per year and has been rated as the world’s top golfer for several years running. However, that did not prevent him from attempting to throw it all away. Tiger had several extramarital affairs that ended his marriage and cost him millions in endorsements. But of course the real losers in all this are Tiger’s children. Tiger had everything, but it was enough to satisfy his ego and selfishness. Still, Tiger is greeted favorably when he is performing and is the crowd favorite. This is hard to explain, but everyone seems to like a front runner.

Was LeBron James egotistical to go on national TV to announce his decision as to which team he would sign with? Absolutely! The only good that came out of the LeBron TV show was that he donated the proceeds to the Boys and Girls club of America. However, that amount was less than a measly quarter of one percent then what his contract was worth. Besides that, LeBron said he had to do what is best for LeBron as he turned his back on the Cleveland Cavilers and 4 other cities. The TV show did nothing to help LeBron James’s image because he came off as an individual obsessed with winning and not doing what is morally correct.

What about Lance Armstrong? He may have the biggest ego in sports. He does not respect his competition. He goes through women faster than Hollywood stars. That’s what happens when a person conquers cancer and wins a record 7 Tour de Frances. Armstrong believes he is invincible and is entitled to more and more privilege. This explains why Armstrong came out of retirement at age 37. But his selfishness was best displayed during his final Tour. After he fell out of contention Lance did nothing to help teammate Levi Leipheimer to get on the podium (Top 3). No, instead Lance was conserving his energy for one last chance to win a stage at the Tour de France. Leipheimer worked relentlessly for years to keep Lance on top, but when the roles reversed Lance continued to look out for himself. Armstrong’s attitude not only cost Leipheimer, but his team (Radio Shack) from winning. It would not surprise me one bit if Lance is found guilty of using illegal drugs that helped him win his 7 Tours. He would then be in the same category as other sport greats that cheated: Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Roger Clemens, Floyd Landis, and Marion Jones to name a few.

The common man will do most anything to get the same fame and fortune as politicians, Hollywood stars, or sport stars. They will crash a White House party or even make false claims that their kid floated away in a helium balloon. It is a sad state of affairs we are at in our country when people will do almost anything for fame or fortune and will then do most anything to throw it all away by acting selfishly. Yes, narcissism leads to a massive ego and this in turn leads to unruly selfish behavior that is destroying our society. It is an epidemic of massive proportions and it has to stop because it is creating massive barriers that are needlessly giving our culture a black eye.