"The human enterprise has been to dominate Earth and everything on it, while remaining constrained by a swarm of competing nations, organized religions, and other selfish collectivities, most of whom are blind to the common good of the species and planet." [91]
--Edward O. Wilson; "The Origins of Creativity"

I have (rather clumsily) been working to say this for years. Well Put! We are (unnecessarily) tripping over each other with little individual effort to understand the urgency we face. Pay Attention! Read a Book! Become a Stakhonovite! Create Autonomously! Disavow Ego! Reject Membership! Think! Act Thoughtfully! Now!

...Before it's too late.

If I were to work to see myself as my neighbor sees me, and if I were to work to see my neighbor as I see myself, and if I were to work to see my neighbor as any 1 of, (in this moment), 7,458,197,595, then perhaps my ego will be moderated, and perhaps I will be more likely to contribute. (In today's technological world, it is not only conceivable to see any other Human individual as a neighbor, it has become necessary.) And while this 'see myself as my neighbor' proverbalization may sound biblical, not only are there many versions of the golden rule dating back to as many as 2,000 years before christianity, in this New-World version the impetus comes from reasoned, thoughtful consideration of what we know today and is not simply an edict commanding morality that then today is translated into superficial courtesy and political correctness. I believe that most of us are capable of more reasoned, thoughtful consideration. The challenge is to stop tripping over ourselves as selfish individuals in selfish collectives.

I believe that to break free from these outdated convictions and commitments, I must first recognize myself as a selfish individual. I can begin this elucidation by examining the process of selfish disagreement, (assuming relatively equitable foreseeable consequence in terms of potential for harm and/or good). Here goes...

1. When my personal (i.e. selfish) desires and/or needs conflict with yours, (accounting for the assumption above), it appears that the only rational reason that mine should supersede yours, is because I say so;
2. And I say so because I am me;
3. Yet I am me, against OVERWHELMING odds, and because of a complex and random series of events that will never be duplicated;
4. So there is no logic that dictates that my desires and needs should take precedence over yours;
5. And if I realize this and you do not, then your desires and needs will more frequently dominate mine;
6. Because even if we impartially agree (for the sake of analysis) that the total package of one individual's desires and needs (in a given moment or in a lifetime) is assigned a value of 10,
7. And then we work to make a mutually agreeable decision,
8. But, by realizing the inanity of the concept of "me" I allow 5 of my 10 for you and keep 5 for myself,
9. And you, (not realizing the inanity of "me"), keep 8 thus giving me only 2
10. You win 13 to 7.
11. Even a generous soul, only keeping 6, will still beat me 11 to 9.
12. And, to be truthful, even one who understands and agrees with the inanity of "me" will succumb to their personal-individual-me human nature probably more often than not,
13. If not overtly, then by claiming that they are allowing 5 and 5, but acting in a way that reflects 5.1 to 4.9.
14. This nod to human nature must not become an excuse---Effort Must Be Made Regardless!

A real world example: two servers in the same restaurant double-book the last piece of cherry pie, and if both you and I absolutely love cherry pie, the only logical reason I should get it instead of you is because I (as me) say so; but by assigning a value to these conflicting desires, the more selfish individual will get the cherry pie.

I believe it is time to outgrow both individual and collective selfishness. But then, who gets the cherry pie? Flip a coin? Or cut it in half? Either option would be preferable to contentious divisiveness. We must consider these and other options in lieu of selfishness...

...Before it's too late.