The title reeks of Ayn Rand (The Virtue of Selfishness¹), and I admit I have read much of her work - but I don't necessarily agree with the 'popular' 'interpretation' of some of her works. That said, we're into 2010 and well into a new era for me. And that era is being selfish - in a different way.

Last year I became extremely tired of having things simply dumped on me because no one else would do them. Or of people bailing out of situations, leaving me to handle them without even asking if I would do it. It was assumed I would do it, not complain and simply trudge along. But before my throat could give rise to complaint, I had to own the problem - and admit that it was my fault. That the world doesn't work as I was taught that it does. That the world doesn't work as I thought it should. And for decades, I tried to make my own world the way I thought it should be.

People just aren't interested. And they'll screw you over when they can, consciously or unconsciously. They'll expect you to do things because you always do them. They'll expect you not to complain simply because you never have before. And, for your own selfish reasons - be it the need to be needed or the enjoyment of solving problems - you will do these things and continue to do those things until the benefits are outweighed by the negatives.

That time for me has come. I have an implicit right to be happy. So does everyone else. So now I will be selfish with my own happiness - armed with the experience I have had thrust upon me only because I was a willing subject.

I will still share. I will still assist others. But I will only now do it on my own terms, and I will walk away when those terms are not met.

In essence: I will be healthy.

¹Ayn Rand, in her book, pointed out that society demands that we be selfless but rewards those that are selfish. That is a puzzling point. It seems to be by design; it was the basis of nobility. Religion was the ointment that made the peasants feel a little better about themselves, and religion implicitly made the case for selfless acts - no matter the religion. And to defend itself, religions will say that selfless acts will get one into nice places and that benefit the common good... yet the common wisdom is that the common good is only good for the common while no one wants to be common. In fact, if you haven't seen The Invention of Lying, you probably should.