Thoul wrote:We must have very different definitions of selfless and selfish. To me, this has nothing do to with the person's view of their own self, which appears to be a crucial part of your definitions. In my view, a selfish man is one that wants to have things for himself, one who desires control and power, who will take for himself rather than give to others. A selfless man is the opposite; someone who would rather give than take.
Yes, I have a much different definition of selfishness than the majority of the world because the word's definition has been corrupted. I start out with the self in definitions because that's the only place to start; with your own mind, and look outward from there. If you don't start with your self; your own mind, then you're starting with the primacy on someone else's mind.
The root of the word selfish is self. A selfish man is a man that lives for himself, meaning, through himself, through his own mind. He doesn't try to live through anyone else. The man that tries to live through others, Anakin, disregards his self, and tries to achieve his value, power, through others. That is the root of the word selfless.
Selflessness, as an ethical practice is the demand of giving, as you stated, which is the expression of living through the minds of others, since you give to them, and depend on them to do the same for your own survival. Every lack of self-esteem is derived from selflessness, which is what I attribute to Anakin, and also the part about giving, even though he didn't appear to do that. Dictators don't give anything in the material realm, they demand everyone else's material sacrifice, which is the tenet of altruism which most don't want to acknowledge. Someone is receiving the sacrifices, which is what "power" over men actually is.
Here's an example of why selflessness is the incorrect ethics for man, and why I say Anakin is one of the most selfless entities in fiction: own must take care of their own needs first. Why? Volition. If a man tries to fulfill others' needs before his own, he requires that they do the same. The problem is that every man has the choice on every matter; there is no guarantee of what any man will do because of this power, so one must control what they can: their own mind.
Anakin, based on his final result, obviously lusts for power over men. This is traditionally thought be a result of selfishness. It's the exact opposite. If a man desires power, he is not placing himself above these men, he is placing himself below them. This is our conflict over whether a man's mind can be controlled. I say it can't, because of volition. No matter what, even in the case of slavery, the slave has power over his own mind. The slave chooses
in his mind whether to accept his slavery or not. The proof is that at any moment, a slave can attempt to run for freedom, (or if imprisoned, never, in his mind, accepting this imprisonment,) and even die in the attempt of escape. The issue of importance is choice. At any moment, a citizen of a dictatorship can choose to reject the government: he either chooses to live under it, or he chooses that life is unacceptable under these conditions and resists.
Any leader's power relies entirely upon the choice of others, no matter how many guns he has, because he can't control volition. He's the most controlled person of all. Look at a politician today: they have no beliefs, they simply try and tell people what people want to hear, varying the message depending on the crowd. Such a man has ceded his beliefs, his mind, choosing to adopt the beliefs of others. He has ceded his mind to those he chooses to control. He has placed his survival selflessly in the hands of others.
I say that Anakin was selfish because he constantly seeks more power. This shows up the most in the last movie. He starts looking for more power, first to control death and later to control those around him, and for more recognition of his abilities when he wants to be named a "master Jedi." I'll agree that he may be lacking self-esteem, but in my eyes that is a separate issue.
Self-esteem is the belief of one's efficacy in the world. A lack of this is the belief that one has no efficacy. This lack must be filled through a desperate need of control in all situations. As this is the result of the practice of selflessness, this person then tries to gain a self via controlling other men's minds/death/laws of the universe etc. An example you gave, wanting recognition of his abilities, is his attempt to derive self-esteem through the minds of others; their opinions of him. He is stating his opinion of himself is meaningless, but that others' opinions are of value. This is abdication of living selflishly, though one's own mind.
As volition, or reality itself continually flouts such a wish, the person becomes more desperate. It's a never-ending cycle if one chooses to pursue it. As the self, i.e. one's feeling of efficacy in the world, becomes more and more damaged by this fruitless pursuit, his need for validation of his self increases. However, a man's mind has a built-in defense mechanism that screams louder at an increasing rate the more a man denies his self, this mechanism produces the feelings of anxiety, worry, fear, and anger. This is the point where the term selfish is typically used, where a man starts taking things from other people, desperately trying to quell these horrible feelings. Selfishness is misused here in that people think this man is taking these things for himself,
which he is, but this ignores the method behind his actions. He is still trying to derive his self worth through others. He is taking
from them. He is still putting the primacy of accomplishing his self esteem on the things other people have produced, not himself. This is another rejection of self.
I would also say that the conquering of men's minds is quite possible, though often difficult. Men can most definitely be controlled. That is why propaganda is so effective and sometimes dangerous.
Men can be controlled, if they choose to be. The onus is on every individual, not propaganda or any leader. If a dictator could control men's minds, this means these victims have no power of choice, they are determined/fated, so man's fate is controlled by some other being, while this chosen dictator does have the power of choice as he can or cannot lose control over these people.
That's my analysis of selfish and selfless behavior. As I've said on some other topics, many ideals are inverted today, because the prominent philosophy is selflessness, so the crimes of the selfless are blamed on the selfish.
"Impossible is just a word people use to make themselves feel better when they quit." Vyse, Skies of Arcadia Legends.
So, my answer is " Star Trek " too.
Happy 27th Anniversary Fringes Of Algo 
Evidently, she is not the only person to do so. One news report showed different scenes of Cheney's pictures doctored up to make it look like he had on the Darth Vader black outfit. It was hilarious. I like Dick Cheney and bet he got a kick out of that. 
