First of all the financial folks - their greed is evident.  They conjured up increasingly sophisticated (complex) investment devices that created money from nothing.  Good for them.  Now look at those who bought those fancy investment devices.  Again - greed.  The promise of a quick return, perhaps even a higher than average return.  What about those who fell for scams?  Greed was the driver.  Bernard Madoff come to mind?  Greed is inherently selfish.  Look out for number one.  Most if not all of us do this. 

But "I'm not selfish," you say?  Consider your motivations, not just your actions.  A friend of mine recently began a charitable foundation to collect and give money to what most of us would consider a very worthy cause.  It helps those in need who can't otherwise help themselves.  Why?  Yes it's altruism and yes it's helpful.  He had to judge those people as NEEDING HELP first though.  Did they really?  Did they ask for it?  Or was he compelled by some inner desire to push his form of help on a specific group that he's singled out?  He is doing a bit of this soul searching too and he's come to realize that he was actually singling out a specific group that he judged.  And why?  Digging deeper he realized that he feels good about helping.  Yes, he's getting something in return - a return on his investment.  It is a religious perspective to give and expect nothing (material) in return - you get the ultimate payback when you die (if you believe in all that).  That's probably what motivated Mother Theresa.

Of course they all do good - and plenty of it.  But they had to judge those they were helping as being "less than" themselves (in some way needy) in order to have that motivation.  Did Mother Theresa help now retired wealthy folks?  Yes - she helped them too feel good if they in turn helped her help those she judged.

We all search for a payback and in doing so we all act out of selfishness, even if our acts appear on the surface to be selfless.

What about companies?  Giving jobs to local indigenous populations so they can improve their lot in life.  Is that altruism or greed?  Looks nice on the surface but underlying it is greed - the company always gets a return on its investment.  All that corporate social responisbility crap is just window dressing.  Look at mining companies (just one example) that open and quickly abandon sites as the price of commodities fluctuate.  What gets left behind?

In our economy today companies are all in reduction.  Conserving (a.k.a. hoarding) cash.  Looking out for number one.  Employees are their number one asset - until they need to cut costs, then look out.  This is reductive behavior.  It reduces capability.  Reduces future potential growth for the company.  Forget the employees let go and thrown into hard times.  They can fend for themselves.  Selfish behavior by the company harms those who used to be "number one."  Hmm.

The G20 is now meeting.  Protectionism is rearing its head.  More selfishness - on the national level.  Look out for number one.  

It is all very exclusive of our fellow man.  Looking out for number one makes sense - do what is best for yourself.  But ponder this: does it need to be exclusive of others or can it be inclusive?  Can we not find ways to take care of ourselves that don't exclude anyone?