The Art of Selfishness

If there were a way to live peacefully without making a fuss about it, most of us would yearn to know its secret. Mystics speak of reward in the afterlife, scholars delve into Latin derivations and philosophical dimensions, and we, struggling in our daily lives, seek a cure for our present problems. The real question is: how close can we get to joy, and how far can we get from pain? Perhaps it is noble to endure the blows of misfortune, but this does not satisfy us, especially since these harsh tools have become outdated. We need something more effective on a human level, like an automatic cannon to protect us from the hordes of intruders who surround us at work, at home, and in the street. We have been oppressed for too long, and we crave a way to overcome the fears of a greedy world. Is there a solution? The pessimists say "no." The moralists cry, "You have to bear your burdens," and the civilized ones echo, "That‘s just the way life is."