I'm a collector at heart, and for better or worse, the way that I justify paying Busse Combat prices is to consider them an investment. Except for a pair of folders, I don't carry my knives, I store them. So, at some level, because I am concerned that my knives at least hold their value (I'd even prefer that they appreciate), I am selfish. While I'd like to see some more BADs made available for the sake of the community, I don't want the price suppressed in the secondary market -- I try not to be greedy, even if I am a bit selfish.

On a more philosophical level reflecting my own cynical outlook on life, I believe that human behavior is almost exclusively based on fear and selfishness. Even those who engage in selfless acts do so because they value the emotional rewards they derive more than what they give up, or in some cases, they may regard charitable acts as an investment in securing future (even after-life) rewards. Humans are, by nature, motivated largely by fear; fear of rejection, fear of privation, fear of pain -- the actions that people take to avoid their fears are, more often than not, selfish. What's good for me and mine is good, what's bad for me and mine is bad. We wrap ourselves within a mantle of civilization, but at heart we're just beasts huddled in the darkness and hoping to see another sunrise.