Bertrand Russell said that if everyone was motivated by
enlightened self interest the world would be much better off. The key is enlightened. Most people don't really understand what is good for them in the long run. They are overcome by greed, jealousy, or anger.
The speech I quoted by Russell is amazing. You can read the whole thing here:
Nobel Prize in Literature 1950 - Presentation Speech. It will change the way you think about things. I should post about it on my blog sometime.