An ant is clever when it works for itself, but it becomes mischievous and troublesome when it invades an orchard or garden. Similarly, people who act only out of self-interest, without regard for others, often create problems for the world around them. You must balance self-interest with your responsibilities to others. Be true to yourself, but not at the expense of honesty and loyalty to your community, especially to your country and its leadership. Living only for yourself is a poor way to live. It’s like standing still while everyone & everything worthwhile revolves around helping others and working together.
Selfishness can sometimes forgivable in leaders. Their personal gains or losses affect everyone they lead, but in others, like advisors or citizens, selfishness is destructive. These people twist everything they touch to suit their own goals, which often conflict with the greater good of their leaders or society. Leaders must avoid hiring people with this trait unless they’re willing to see their goals sacrificed for those of their servants.
This imbalance becomes especially harmful when a servant’s small personal gain overrides their master’s much greater interests. This is the pattern of corrupt officials, treasurers, diplomats, or generals who manipulate situations for their own petty ambitions. Their selfish actions harm the larger, more important goals of their masters, and while they may gain something small for themselves, the damage they cause is often vast, affecting the fortunes of the people they serve.
Those obsessed with themselves will burn down an entire house just to cook their own eggs. Yet, such individuals often remain trusted by their superiors because they excel at flattery and pursuing their own advantage. This earns them influence, even though they harm the greater good by focusing solely on personal benefits.
Self-centered wisdom is corrupt in many ways. It’s like the cunning of rats that flee a house just before it collapses, or foxes that steal the burrows dug by badgers, or crocodiles that fake tears before they devour their prey. Most importantly, those who, as Cicero said of Pompey, are “lovers of themselves without rivals” often find themselves undone by fortune. They spend their lives serving only their own interests, only to end up as victims of the very instability they thought they could outsmart.
In the end, true success comes not from selfish cleverness, but from aligning your goals with the benefit of others, creating a foundation that withstands the uncertainties of life.
Bacon Blueprint 