Aye

I've discerned another excuse for the selfishness I discussed recently. It's my defense against manipulation. Nowadays there are so many schemes that try to convince me to further someone else's interests. "If you buy a newspaper subscription, the company gives me money for college." "If you host a Tupperware party, your friend can get more free stuff." Everyone who works for commission or under a quota tries to further their cause by getting me on board. It's fine and even great when I want the product they are offering - when I've been wanting to host a Tupperware party and buy a newspaper subscription, when their interests are in line with mine and the transaction is mutually beneficial. But I need my "selfishness" to protect me from all the times when that is not the case. When someone else's success is tied to my participation, they become less interested in whether or not I want what they are selling; they want me to want it, and many will resort to some level of manipulation to ensure that I cooperate. Since they do not have my best interests at heart, I need to.