Question: Does the notion of “egoism” imply a certain desire or the realization of this desire? For example, I wish to take something from someone—this is my desire, I can work with it. But it is a whole other thing if I actually take it from them.
Answer: We are not talking about the action, but the actual intention. When you wish to take something from someone, realize something at the expense of another, and receive pleasure from it, for your own sake, to the detriment of others, this is egoism. But simply enjoying something is not egoism.
Egoism is when our actions are directed at pleasing ourselves and hurting others by doing it: people, nature—no matter whom or what.
Virtually any action that we perform is egoistic. It is always either realized in balance with nature, society, and people or against them since we do not exist on our own like in a vacuum, but in the surrounding environment.
I must always think about my kind attitude towards others, and this primarily comes during the upbringing process. My attitude towards the animate, vegetative, and the still world, my attitude towards all of nature, and the entire Universe becomes completely different: benevolent, compassionate.
We begin to understand and perceive forces and layers that are concealed from us in the past, in nature, and in the surrounding space. We reveal the matrix, the design of nature, its inner meaning, its plan, where we exist and develop against our will. A person reaches the level of realization of his own participation, fate, destiny, and purpose.
From a “Talk on Integral Education” #7, 12/14/11