Man moves from personal ego to enlightened self-interest when he is able to complete the “cycle of universalization” of the individual ego.
This cycle of universalization comprises of four stages:
Cycle of Universalization: Four Stages
Stage 0
In this stage, we see individuals trapped in a narrow sense of self, unable to go beyond a deeply transactional vision of life.
Stage 1
The stage of “responsibility beyond oneself” – the “carrying” as it were of a group larger than the narrow self, itself results in expansion of the definition of oneself.
Stage 2
The stage of “intelligent experiencing of reality”. In this stage we see every experience as an evolutionary step that allows us to intelligently recognize the futility of selfishness.
Stage 3
In this stage, there is a letting go of the ‘I’ which generated the experiences in the first place.
As Stage 3 is reached, man begins to recognize that the Universal Consciousness operates in a state of ‘enlightened self-interest”. Enlightened self-interest is the manifestation of highest self-interest of every level of entity in the universe. This manifests itself as responsible self-interest locally, collectivized self-interest at the community level, and enlightened self-interest at the level of the Universe.
