These are the first two paragraphs of
this book review:
The ego, a necessary construction, can also become a burden. In its
unrelenting focus on power, achievement and sensual gratification, it
breeds a culture, both inner and outer, of oppression, insecurity,
addiction and loneliness. Enough is never enough. There is always
someone richer, more accomplished and more successful than you are.
Spiritual traditions across the world have offered counsel. The
happiness that comes from accumulation is fleeting, they remind us.
There is another kind of happiness, let’s call it joy, that comes from
helping others.
David Brooks has a feel for the serenity such a passion can bring. He
dubs it the second mountain. While self-satisfaction is the first
mountain’s primary goal, gratitude, delight and kindness spring from a
life devoted to service. “In the cherry blossom’s shade,” a Japanese
haiku reminds us, “there’s no such thing as a stranger.” Surrender of
self awakens love and connection.
That second paragraph sounds like something that could be used to try to make women contented with their traditional roles of being just supportive of men. It also reminded me of what I've read about Shel Silverstein's
The Giving Tree, not necessarily specifically as in
this book review that I found via Wikipedia:
But a few years later, as Nordstrom slyly recalled in a New York Times
interview, "the body twitched" and sales of "The Giving Tree" soared,
spurred by word of mouth from, of all quarters, Protestant ministers and
Sunday-school teachers, who embraced the book as a cogent restatement
of the Christian ideal of unconditional love.
By contrast, the Jewish ideal of love isn't totally unconditional. As Hillel put it,
אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי? וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי?
Devotion to humanity is desirable, maybe even obligatory. Just as long as you remember that you are one of the humans that you need to be devoted to. "Devotion" normally does not mean "sacrifice".
