Selfishness...

Selfishness keeps man blind through life.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Christ's teaching that man should be kind and charitable, and that of all other
teachers who showed humanity the right path, seems to differ from what one sees
from the practical point of view which is called common sense; yet according to
uncommon sense, in other words super-sense, it is perfectly practical. If you
wish to be charitable, think of the comfort of another; if you wish to be happy,
think of the happiness of your fellow men; if you wish to be treated well, treat
others well; if you wish that people should be just and fair to you, first be so
yourself to set an example.

Man's greatest enemy is his ego which manifests itself in selfishness. Even in
his doing good, in his kind actions, selfishness is sometimes at work. When he
does good with the thought that one day it may return to him and that he may
share in the good, he sells his pearls for a price. A kind action, a thought of
sympathy, of generosity, is too precious to trade with. One should give and,
while giving, close the eyes. Man should remember to do every little action,
every little kindness, every act of generosity with his whole heart, without the
desire of getting anything in return making a trade out of it. The satisfaction
must be in doing it and in nothing else.

Every step in evolution makes life more valuable. The more evolved you are, the
more priceless is every moment; it becomes an opportunity for you to do good to
others, to serve others, to give love to others, to be gentle to others, to give
your sympathy to souls who are longing and hungering for it. Life is miserable
when a person is absorbed in himself; as soon as he forgets himself he is happy.

Tulsidas, the Hindu poet, says that the essence of religion is kindness. Those
who are inclined to do kindness in life must not discriminate among the people
around them, between those to whom they must be kind and those to whom they need
not be kind. However kind and good a person may be to those he likes, to those
he wishes to be kind to, he cannot for this be called kind by nature; real
kindness is that which gushes out from the heart to the worthy and to the
unworthy. ... Man is the outcome of the development of the whole of creation;
therefore the ego, which makes one selfish, is developed in him more than in any
other creature. Selfishness keeps man blind through life, and he scarcely knows
when he has caused harm to another. ... In this struggle of life, if a man can
be considerate enough to keep his eyes open to all around him and see in what
way he can be of help to them, he becomes rich; he inherits the kingdom of God.