Remember Yourself

All actions performed by a person have one single goal—to derive pleasure from what has been done. In a person there almost always awakens a feeling that has an exclusively egocentric motivation, one that impels him to commit certain acts which satisfy only his self-infatuation. For example, experiencing satisfaction from the execution of a criminal, having desired to revel in violence against him, we fail to understand that we thereby make ourselves like unto him; we experience pride in the capacity to be simply human when we extend a helping hand, while at the same time desiring acknowledgment in contrast to those who did not act in such a way. In the end, we do not learn to love sincerely, expecting nothing in return, but only experience a certain feeling of satisfaction.