Self-care
Self-care means simply: to care well for oneself – to attend to one’s own strength, health and needs. At the Kyborg Institute we understand it as a precondition for loving-kindness: only whoever cares for themselves has the lasting strength to be there for others too.
Self-care belongs to ethics
A lived ethics is directed towards the good of all – including ourselves. D. Harald Alke brings it, in „Die Ethik des Neuen Menschen”, to a simple short formula:
“Do good, injure no one – not even yourself.” — D. Harald Alke
Self-care is thus no addition, but part of the attitude: whoever respects others respects themselves too.
Not egoism
Self-care is not egoism. Egoism places one’s own advantage at the cost of others at the centre. Self-care, by contrast, provides for one’s own stability – so that one can give voluntarily and lastingly, without burning out. Altruism research too emphasises: selflessness needs limits, otherwise it tips into self-loss. It is thereby part of a healthy individualism that does not exclude the community (more under Collectivism & individualism).
No self-sacrifice
Loving-kindness is sometimes confused with self-sacrifice. Yet whoever gives themselves up completely runs empty. Genuine regard arises voluntarily and out of one’s own stability – never through pressure, guilt or fear.
What does that mean in practice?
- Attend to one’s own strength – breaks, sleep, good relationships.
- Be allowed to set limits, without a bad conscience.
- Give out of abundance, not out of exhaustion.
Frequently asked questions
What is self-care – simply explained?
Self-care means to care well for oneself: to attend to one's own strength, health and needs. Only whoever cares for themselves has the lasting strength to be there for others too.
Is self-care egoistic?
No. Egoism places one's own advantage at the cost of others at the centre. Self-care provides for one's own stability – as the precondition for being able to help others voluntarily and lastingly.
How does self-care fit with loving-kindness?
It is its precondition. 'Do good, injure no one – not even yourself', is how it is put at the Kyborg Institute. Whoever passes over themselves burns out – genuine regard needs one's own stability.
Change history · last updated on
- — First English version.
Sources
- D. Harald Alke: Die Ethik des Neuen Menschen. Ethik, Moral, Glaube und Verantwortung. Kyborg Institut & Verlag, 1993 (4. Auflage 2016).
- Tobias O. R. Alke: Ausgewählte Perspektiven des Altruismus. Kyborg Institut & Verlag, 2017. ISBN 978-3-96104-027-8.
Autoren: D. Harald Alke, Tobias O. R. Alke