The Star. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1921. THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 12 February 1921, Page 6

The Star.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1921. THE SIN OF SELFISHNESS.

/ Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock .in Hawera, Maaala, Normauby, Okaiawa, Juiiiifciu, ftaugutuki, &apou a -Et, Awatuna, .. OpiiaajLe. Ocasebo, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyviue. ttnrt&, Waverley.

Throughout the world to-day the one great need is for people to be unselfish. Let any one calmly and quietly think of^the terrible state into which mankind has fallen, and then ask thj£ simple - question: What is^ the cause ? We think that one word suffices for the answer —Selfishness. Everywhere one notices a mad face by many people to gain possession of wealth and money, and the general tendency of the times is for individuals to go far beyond the bounds bf what one may regard as j reasonable ambition, with the result I that there is a feeling of suspicion and; mistrust in the minds of very .large!

sections; of people, and; it is this feeling which is so. 'dangerous to the na--Ation. If 0 then there, has grown up a feeling of hostility between sections of people, because-of individual selfishness, it is necessary to be quite clear upon what are, selfish actions and what may be regarded -as, reasonable and proper ambitions. It 4s natural for everybody to be more or less selfish; that is due to the.feeling that people should provide adequately for themselves and those who may be dependent upon them. But the selfishness to which we refer when we think of the dissension and turmoil in the world to-day is something- more than *that—it is the unbridled' passion which possesses many people to gain at the expense of others more than they are fairly and honestly entitled to. The conditions of the world which form the subject matter of the science of economics are at the present time abnormal, and they are such as to encourage people to give full rein to human desires; in short, the economic complexities of an ab-i normal period tend to blot out the ethical side and to bring into greater prominence the material. That, we think, is the true explanation of the huge gaps' which7 have developed between sections of the people. The workers in some of the industries have

seen an.opportunity, because of the demands for a limited supply of Labour, of gaining almost everything they have chosen to claim. lmt;hsive they thought for o moment of the cost, of the hardship, and.of tbe suffering which their methods to gain their demands have brought'iipon their fellowmen? Some traders, too, have found that the general conditions have enabled them

to gain a maximum of profit. Havel .they,:"thought of the effects which their methods have had upon their fellow-, men? We do not".think that either they unreasonable Labour men or the unreasonable traders have ever given a thought to anything but what can be "got out of it," to use a common expression. But a change in economic conditions is at hand, and the day is approaching when "there; will no longer be the opportunities for sections of workers to make unreasonable demands or offending traders to make unfair profits. Then shall we find that people will give more thought to the.ir duties and responsibilities rather than to. selfish ambitions. Nobody -can alter the operations of the economic laws which are at work, but people can bring into full operation the principles of fair play and live unselfishly, recognising that life does not consist only of acquiring wealth and money, but in the discharge of duties and responsibilities. The duty of the miner is to win for the community the supplies of coal, which are required; the duty of the; trader; is to supply people with the commodities ; which are necessary to the life of the community. In neither, case should the first consideration be the acquirement of a maximum of money or profit for the least expenditure of energy or No doubt such a view, if only self-interest were considered, might be regarded as weak and foolish. Nevertheless, service should be the keynote of every person who regards himself or herself, as s good citizen of the State. Selfishness brings its own unhappy reward in the shape of morbid . discontent, narrow vision, and an uncomfortable mind. Ii then people would only live* up to nobh principles and apply themselves tc their callings guided by the spirit o! service there would be no such things as "go-slow" policies or unfair profits The worker would do his work con scientiously because he would regard ii as his duty to his feliowmen; th<

trader would welcome every. opportunity of selling his goods at prices consistent with a fair and. reasonable profit, and he would readily pass on to the consumer all possible benefits that he might gain if there was a fall in tke market. It is an ideal, we know, but ftfterall is. it not possible-for people to act up to such principles, especially when ;a few minutes' thought must show them that selfishness is the greatest sin against, the moral law and* against the nation? We all know that money, unless it is honestly and honourably acquired for service conscientiously rendered, does not and never can bring real peace and happiness, either to the worker or to anyone else, whatever his place in the community. If we are all going to be grabbing and grasping, setting selfish ideas before our duty to our/ fellowmen and living only for material things,' then we can never hope to be really happy, for we are convinced that every materialist is an enemy to every other materialist, and only turmoil and cor.fusion can be expected as a resuli Would that people generally, employers mid employees, would only think much-more deeply than • they do, and learn the real meaning of life. It would richly repay them for the thought, but ■ the reward would be in a. form that rrfoney could not purchase—:honest service and peace and. contentment of mind, and lasting friendship and trust between man and his. neighbour. That would be a communism which no soviet or other organisation born in jealous and selfish desire could ever bring, about.