Review: A quick read, but...
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 30, 2011
Not much to show for it. I realized that as a short book, it would not go into great depth or detail. However, instead of being- as I had hoped- a book looking objectively at selflessness and selfishness as different personality types and showing how one could use either to benefit, it was little more than a scold from your mother. Selfishness is bad and selflessness is good, and you just have to change from selfishness to selfness and your life will be ice cream and unicorns. Pure black and white, no nuance.In reality, almost all of us lie somewhere in the grey area in between. Pure selflessness is every bit as bad as pure selfishness when it comes to living in the real world. Selfishness in the right amount can motivate us, and selflessness can open us to possibilities and make us enjoy what we have. If you are not able to make use of both, a meaningful life will be a very difficult thing to attain.This one dimensional approach is not unique to this book. It seems to be commonplace in the "self-help" genre, so I cannot be too upset with the author. I will also give the benefit of the doubt in that the length of the book made it very difficult to impart any significant information. However, as an electronic book, the length constraints should not be a major issue. The author would have been much better served had they taken the time to flesh out their premise and address the subtle issues that arise when dealing with any two opposing concepts. A less judgmental tone would have helped, as well.We are all told as children that being selfish is bad. Then we grow up, and the selfish people are the ones succeeding. I would much rather have read about how you can use a balance of the two traits to get ahead without becoming a person you would not want to be than to be lectured again as if I were a child that selfishness is always a bad thing.