79. Are we all Mr. Grinch?

I was out at the local coffee shop "Cafe Roule"...if only they will give me a free cup of tea because of advertising....oh wait...that leads right into my next topic. GREED!!..SELFISHNESS!!...yes yes yes...

PSYCH!SENSE question...are all the friends you have made because of your initial selfishness?

think about it...are all your friendships based on the idea of getting something from them? Now I realize it's not as simple as that...but more I question our intentions with other people. Think about it...think of a friend right now...think of someone that you met and made a friend of and think if you initially met them because they gave you something...me for example...I paid for her "services" over and over again, many times a week resulting in her becoming one of my best friends and me her best customer!! kidding...kinda...anyways

Let me give you a real example...I once had a friend in high school that knew taekwondo. Here's the interesting thing...when I met him I had seen him practicing one day and because of this I wanted to be his friend...although I didn't know it at the time. The reason I wanted to get to know him was because I felt I could teach him something...he fed into my ego...in exchange..maybe he learned new moves, new techniques...or whatever...

When you take up a new hobby...lets say...archery...you join a club and try and make friends with others as a way to learn from them...learn how to do things with your bow...this is your selfish need...in turn perhaps they get the feeling of "i'm helping someone...i'm a good person..." or "ha! i'm the man...I taught you something..." this is their selfish need.

Just like when you go out and want to hit on a really hot girl...you hit and make friends with her ugly friend as a way to get in! I know, I know...horrible..

Some of us guys hang out with really, really hot opposite sex friends...from them we get the feeling of them "being with us" despite them not "being with us", we get the feeling of "check me out random guys in the street..she's with me"...we get an ego boost...perhaps women get the feeling of protection or having good company (because they aren't as shallow as we are).

Now i'm not saying that we keep our friends for those reasons...but it is interesting to think that our relationships are founded by the selfishness in ourselves..the idea of "what can I get from them?" Over time that does change though...it does...we begin to see the wonderful connection above the level of "what can they do for me.." we begin to appreciate their company, the relationship, the feeling of being close to someone...

I suppose I would challenge people of the world to truly consider their ability to meet new friends without the intention of getting something from them...but out of the intention of meeting someone new...although isn't that selfish as well? I truly don't know...

Ultimately I can try and make new friends of strangers with the intention of selflessness...but geez...does anyone think that's possible?

p.s.
If any of you know a massage therapist willing to be a friend with selflessness intent...boy o' boy I could use it!!!!