what we need now

i never thought i'd read something like this in the harvard business review. i thought this article was pretty well put. it describes well the balancing the human "survival act," as it's called in the article, with our higher values.

"So how do we learn to rise to our best selves more often?
The first answer is to acknowledge how often we fall short of the ideals to which we aspire — and how much help we need in living them more fully. We need humility in place of hubris, and even a sense of shame, where it's warranted, as a spur to behave better."

philosophers would probably get into this being a very "human" conundrum...as most animals wouldn't have to debate about self-interest vs. generosity. but seems like something we all grapple with, all the time. brings to mind that e.b. white quote:

i arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. this makes it hard to plan the day.-e.b. white (we'll let it slide that he's a cornell grad.)

http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2011/08/what-we-need-now.html