THE LIFE WE SEEK

The Life We Seek ~ 453 ~ inclined, society cannot prosper as a whole; no society can survive the stresses and strains of clashing personal interests. Far from working together in the interests of the community at large, self-seekers are at each other’s throats, hot in pursuit of their own selfish ends. Materialistic philosophies which propound one theory for society and quite another for the individual will inevitably render ineffective any attempts to improve society. When the accepted aim of life is the attainment of material prosperity, people feel free to satisfy their desires as they please. But the world we live in is a finite one, full of limitations. Here it is impossible for each and every individual to satisfy his or her own urges without this having an adverse effect upon others. In consequence, when self-centered people set out ruthlessly to fulfill their desires, they become a source of trouble, even danger, to others. People who are obliged to live on low incomes frequently feel deprived vis-à-vis others and, therefore, deeply frustrated. All too often, they then take to satisfying their desires by dishonest