"Such an exaggerated sense of the private self breeds competition: Your good becomes a threat to my good. Do you know what the Greeks called a private person? They called someone who had no sense of the common good an idiot. The original meaning of idiot is one who simply thinks of himself and has no sense of the city-state." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" p. 164)
I'm not an overtly competitive person. I suspect that may have more to do with a belief that I'm not going to win anyway so why try. I enjoy doing things, but the win-lose stuff, leaves me cold.
I also tend to put the needs of others way ahead of my own, and that would be fine, if I didn't wind up later resenting it. Having said that I'm not threatened by others being included or having their needs met. I just have a belief that if everyone took care of each other, everyone would be taken care of. Though I realize the world is way out of balance in that regard at the moment.
We try to get our kids to not be "me-me" types, but until we model it in our own lives, why should we expect others to follow.
Blessings,
Ed
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