In A Showdown With The Program I Present Through

[Benton]

A friends of mine's daughter committed suicide last year. She was 15. She needed help. She wasn't bullied, was very loved, well-liked, active in a couple different activities and by all accounts "well-rounded." Mentally, though, something wasn't right, apparently.

I don't think it's fair to call it selfish, any more than it's selfish to be an alcoholic, a narcissist, obsessive-compulsive, schizophrenic or any other of a several dozen psychological diseases. Whatever it is that causes some folks to suffer abnormally, I don't know. But I wouldn't define it as "selfishness." Being selfish is taking the last cookie even though your stomach is full and there's other's who haven't had one. Selfish is two parents working 40 hours a week, but one thinking the other one should deal with all the responsibilities. Selfish is a kid having two toys that are borrowed and only being able to play with one, while another doesn't have one to borrow.