31/07/2026
Selfless love is the hardest kind of love to find. So much so that some philosophers even define love as selfish in nature. The selfishness of love can be seen even in the relationship between a man and a dog, one of the most valued examples of pure love and loyalty.
It begins with a man finding a dog beneficial to him in some way, while the dog realises that it can depend on the man for food and care. There, an unwritten covenant is established. As the man feeds the dog, and the dog remains useful to him in some way, a bond is formed through this transaction until it becomes so strong that, even if the transaction ends—that is, if each stops benefiting the other—love continues to exist beyond the exchange. Only then does love become selfless: after being initiated by selfish needs and cultivated through mutual transactions. Therefore, selfish needs can become the foundation of a selfless relationship.
The same happens with humans. A man sees a woman from whom he believes he can benefit and promises her all manner of things. The woman likewise realises that she could benefit from the man. At the beginning, it is driven by self-interest. As they both invest themselves in meeting each other’s needs, a bond is formed—one that may eventually endure even beyond the fulfilment of the promises that first brought them together.
Whether we call it selfishness, selflessness, or selfless selfishness, one element remains constant: each person should focus on giving the other what they need, and that is altruistic.
