Stop being selfish

Altruism can be selfless in theory.

In my life I did practice a particular brand of altruism, which can be perceived as selfless (as opposed to selfish) in a “mechanical way”.

Here is an example:

I am with a friend and it is getting late. My friend have to wake up early tomorrow. However they are still offering me things and generally acting like they appreciate my presence.

I do not want to bother them and to make them stay up late, so I excuse myself and leave.

This is selfish. At the core of this behavior is a fear of upsetting, a fear of being “bad” or just a negative outlook on the world which I would be indulging in.

If I decide not to be selfish, I stay for as long as I like, even maybe sleep over.