Summary

Our wellbeing is being canceled by selfishness. Our individualistic cultural approach is causing US to be selfish. We can bridge the divide in our country by learning to take the perspective of someone else and by sharing the truth with each other. We must stand up together to protect our wellbeing and to protect our democracy. Let’s all learn to be Minnesota nice. Let none of US sleep until justice is restored for all of US.

Wellbeing Canceled by Selfishness

Selfishness is driving an erosion of our wellbeing. In my opinion, selfishness is being promoted by Donald and his terrorist organization (this characterization is my opinion), the Donald Administration. Let’s discuss wellbeing canceled by selfishness.

Selfishness Defined

Selfishness is the concern for oneself and one’s welfare. By corollary, other people are not the concern of the person who is selfish.

Why This Matters

This matters because we are in a time of turmoil in the USA.

Americans tend to be individualistic, to a fault. We are seeing this in every aspect of the Donald’s Administration. To be individualistic means to prioritize one’s individual rights over communal rights.

And, everyone believes that they are so important in the USA.

Each of US is but a speck of dust in the universe. No one is better than another person. No one is more deserving than another person. Each of US is irrelevant, period.

Because we are so individualistic, we want our moment of fame. And, we do that at the expense of other people. But, we cannot afford to be selfish. Our democracy and our very wellbeing are at stake.

We must learn to try out new perspectives which, as I discussed in my previous posts, may be an unrealistic expectation for some people whose brains do not process conspiracy theories (falsehoods) the same way that some of US do. We have to try.

Neuroscience of Selfishness

There is a growing body of research related to selfishness. I will briefly review two research articles.

Overgaauw et al (2020) conducted an fMRI study exploring psychopathy traits and social context. Their data demonstrate that psychopathic traits impact the extent to which a person assesses their performance in social interactions. Psychopathic tendencies predict whether a person engages in self-centered versus other-directed behaviour in social interactions.

We gain additional information from an elegant study by Jospe et al (2020) which examined the connection between visual cues and linguistic cues with proxies for mentalizing and experience sharing. My simplified interpretation of the study premise is that mentalizing or perspective taking and experience sharing or the idea of sharing emotional states when learning of the experience of someone else may be impacted differently when the scenario to which a person is exposed contains visual information, auditory (heard language) information, or both visual and auditory information. The most relevant conclusion, in my opinion, from the study by Jospe et al, is that mentalizing and experience sharing as separate pathways are both implicated when a person assesses the story of another person. Translation: I am exposed to someone else’s story and I seek to understand their perspective as well as their emotional state.

Philosophical Approach to Selfishness

Consider that egoism (selfishness) may coexist with altruism (as a stand-in for other-directed behaviour). Kago et al (September 2023) explore this possibility in their article about altruism and egoism. So, situations may not be cut-and-dried related to selfishness. That does not negate the data from the study conducted by Overgaauw et al (2020). It just requires that our conceptualization of our actions and the actions of others be nuanced.

Isn’t that what this is all about? Nuance. Perspective-taking. Bridging divides to create a more perfect union, despite the machinations of the Donald’s Administration.

When we are selfish, we erode our collective wellbeing. Our collective wellbeing, as I have discussed in previous posts, affects the wellbeing of individual members of the community. We owe it to each of US to take actions to stop this selfishness.

Wellbeing Canceled by Selfishness: Take Action

Learn to embrace new perspectives.

Share information with everyone you know. Share the truth. Remember: you cannot change another person’s mind and you can give them the information to help them escape their conspiracy theory mindsets, to learn the truth.

Address behaviours. Do not attack identities. As much as I believe that we are under siege by American Nazis and by an American Hitler, I know that I cannot bridge the gap with the persons I deem to be Nazis by labeling them to their face. Holding them accountable for crimes against humanity is a future plan. That is a task for our future Nuremberg trials.

Try to understand the emotional state of the other party. Try. I know that this can be very hard. We have to try.

In my heart of hearts, I feel that I am living the reenactment of what my father experienced in the European theatre during WWII when he sniffed out Nazis and liberated WWII Concentration Camps. There was very little to liberate, mainly bones, bones, bones; dust and ashes; and rotting human flesh. I am very sad that we, as human beings, have fallen for the grift of an American Hitler. And, I know that we can overcome this episode, together.

Which Side Are You On?

It matters for our future. It also matters that we learn from the steadfastness of Minnesotans and their resolve not to take the Donald’s bait of trying to divide US and trying to incite US to violence. Minnesotans are Minnesota nice. Thank you, Minnesota.

Maine is standing up. Appalachia has stood up. Illinois stood up. Minnesota continues to stand up. California stood up. DC stood up. All of US will stand up.

Join us. If you choose not to, watch US stand up for everyone, including for those of you who are too scared; who disagree with US; who wish US ill. That’s okay. Just watch US resist and prevail.

Neuroscience will help US to demonstrate to others how resistance can be non-violent, unlike how the Insurrectionists behaved on January 6, 2021. We will be savvy and learn to employ skills to bridge the divide and unite US, once and for all.

Peace to the world.

Let’s all be Minnesota nice.

Marsh Family: Adaptation of “San Francisco” (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)

Andrea Bocelli: Nessun dorma, performed January 26, 2026, at the Olympics in Milano, Italia

Donald, JDVance, and the Cabinet of Fools: No one is sleeping. We are keeping watch over our neighbours. We will hold you accountable at the next Nuremberg Trials.

We will not sleep until all of you pay the price for your hateful actions.

Always, surround yourself with music to inspire you to be kind, grateful, generous, compassionate, peaceful, and truth seeking.

Please give generously to your local food pantries. Your neighbours will thank you.

Disclaimer: The content of this post is not meant to substitute for a consultation with your healthcare professional team.

If you are thinking of hurting yourself or of hurting someone else, please CALL 9-1-1; CALL 9-8-8; or GO TO the nearest emergency room.

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Nota Bene:

USA Government websites are being purged by the current Trump Administration to align the website content with the regime’s political agenda. Please note that any government website cited in this and other posts on this website may no longer contain evidence based or historically correct information. Thus, I am trying to avoid including any references or resources which derive from a USA government website. This is not bias; I take this action in an effort to maintain a factually sound content in my posts.