We can imagine egoism and altruism as being two opposite extremes. An egoist is someone who thinks only of himself/herself, acting in such a way as to obtain a personal benefit, often at the expense of others. Pure selfishness manifests itself in a myriad of all kinds of behaviour, but it is based on a mentality that is extremely opportunistic and self-centred, which causes the person to take action only when it will result in a personal. But that's not all, unfortunately. Selfishness can also manifest itself in ways that are more subtle and harmful, and this happens when you are willing to trample on other people in order to obtain a personal advantage. Selfishness can therefore easily lead to envy. At the other extreme we have the pure altruist, who only feels at ease when doing good for others. Altruism can reach exasperation exactly like its counterpart. This happens when a person deprive himself/herself of important things to give them to others, and not necessarily people actually in need. The basis for this form of altruism is not therefore a noble motivation to help others, but rather a feeling of self-punishment, or even a desire to receive attention and approval from others. The true altruist does not feel the need, therefore, to advertise his/her noble gestures, and above all does not do such gestures expecting something in return. As always, moderation is the best solution.
