Modern thought, most powerfully symbolized by Ayn Rand as an author and America as a country, is rooted in a belief that the best organizing principle for human interaction is based on “self interest.”  The belief is that all people work to maximize their individual well being.  And that when people work to maximize their individual well being, it will maximize the well being in the society.

On the other hand, eastern philosophy seem to hold that developing altruistic lifestyle is the best way to live.  These two world views are opposite to each other.  Or are they?

It appears that an enlightened defintion of self interest will help reconcile these two seemingly opposite views.  First let us understand that our own happiness and self interest is in ensuring not only our physical but emotional happiness.  Emotional happiness depends on how we are accepted into our friends, family and society at large.  Finally, there also is the happiness of the spirit–the inner peace.  This depends on knowing that you live your life according to a set of self consistent beliefs.  Even terrorist need indoctrination to align there internal beliefs such that they believe that what they are doing is the “right thing.” 

We need to understand our “self interest” is not just what we would like to happen right now.  If we fully understand the longer term consequences of our actions, acting in our self interest and acting altrusitically is not that different. 

Take an example from the physical world.  It feels good to sleep in the morning.  So why should we get up early and go to the gym.  The reason as we understand most of the time is that it provides us longer term health benefits.

Similary, when we do “good” or altruistic deeds, we may be giving up some immediate gratification but we are doing what is good for our longer term happiness.  So the difference betweeen individualism and altruism goes away when you understand the full scope of individualism.