It’s a funny thing, when you read John Milton’s Paradise Lost, how the main character, Satan, is so completely miserable.
The other thing is, he’s completely self-absorbed. All he can do is focus upon himself. Me me me me me…
This is what they mean by the old phrase, “T’is more blessed to give than to receive”.
This doesn’t mean some grey-bearded sky fairy up there somewhere, keeping a tally on who gave the most Christmas presents.
No, it means that we are inherently social, giving creatures, and when we make it all about ourselves, we defy our own nature.
And when we defy our own nature, we create a Hell for ourselves. We end up like Milton’s Satan.
(As Milton says, “The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”)
Which means, if you’re just in business for yourself, to just make a buck regardless, well, good for you, enjoy your new Ferrari, just don’t complain that you don’t find it as satisfying or as meaningful as somebody whose business is driven by more noble and generous reasons.
That’s not how it works.
