Excerpt
Selfishness is not just a flaw—it’s self-destruction in slow motion. Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that meekness is the real cure, for it doesn’t just mask selfishness but dissolves it.
Intro
Joseph Smith urged that selfishness be “not only buried, but annihilated.” Elder Maxwell builds on that: selfishness shrinks the soul, corrodes society, and detonates commandments. Like Copernicus reminding the world it wasn’t the center of the universe, we too must learn—we are not the center. Meekness and unselfish discipleship are the only antidotes.
Straight line (what he’s saying)
• Selfishness = self-destruction in slow motion. It narrows life until others no longer matter.
• Appetite and ego can never fill emptiness; zero multiplied by anything is still zero.
• Selfishness masks itself as swagger but is as provincial as goldfish in a bowl.
• Joseph Smith: selfish feelings must be annihilated, not moderated.
• Common forms: puffing credit, resenting others’ success, withholding kindness, rudeness, and abuse.
• Cultural consequence: when selfishness spreads, societies decline—without mercy, without love, past feeling.
• Selfishness detonates the Ten Commandments: it fuels envy, adultery, dishonesty, even murder.
• Cain’s “I am free” after slaying Abel = ultimate selfish blindness.
• Today: people strain at gnats (small issues) while swallowing camels (grave sins like abortion).
• Followers share accountability with leaders in cultural decline; excuses won’t save.
• True freedom comes from unselfishness—serving, forgiving, and lifting others.
• Christ Himself is the supreme contrast: He did not look out for “number one.”
Final reflection
Selfishness corrodes both heart and culture. The cure is meekness—choosing to notice, to yield, to bless. When I dissolve selfish wants, space opens for Christlike love. The world says “look out for number one”; Jesus says, “lose yourself and you’ll find life.”
Pocket I’m keeping
• Before big actions: quietly ask, “Whose needs am I meeting?”
• Practice daily meekness: count to 10 before speaking, let the Spirit filter words.
• Replace envy with gratitude; bless the success of others.
• Sow unselfishness in family life—ordinary duties cultivate extraordinary love.
• Remember: selfishness shrinks, meekness expands.
What I hear now
Unselfishness frees me under a “freer sky,” as Chesterton said. Meekness is not weakness—it’s strength without selfishness. When I choose it, selfishness dissolves and discipleship deepens.
Link to the talk
“Repent of [Our] Selfishness” — Elder Neal A. Maxwell
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Comments
3 responses to “Marked in Time Sep 9, 2025 – Repent of Our Selfishness”
This is really good
Thanks, Scott—appreciate you reading. That message hit me too. I’m trying to live it a little better each day. Grateful for your support.
Appreciate that, Scott. That message still reminds me daily to stay humble and serve with a softer heart.