I think because of sin that humans are definitely selfish. It's hard for us to put others before our own wants and needs.
It's always worth considering just what should be considered selfish and how far putting others first is expected to go.
If we are aware of a local need we might argue it's selfish to put our wants ahead of another's needs. The trouble with the global news cycle is that there's always a need there, there's always a request to "please give as much as you can". How much is "as much as I can"? Does it mean the entire contents of my wallet? Write a check for my entire bank balance? Refinance my house? Cash in my retirement fund?
It's also increasingly difficult to figure what is an actual need when dealing with something very remote. My wife and I sponsor a child in Africa and the agency we work with reminds us frequently how impoverished the area is, with an average monthly income of about $20. But when it's this boy's birthday they recommend a gift of $25. That would be broadly akin to sponsoring a child in a US ghetto and sending them $2500 for a birthday gift. And then comes the question of never knowing how much of a gift goes to actually meet the need and how much gets soaked up in administration and staff salaries.
Finally putting our own needs ahead of another person's wants isn't even remotely selfish. As I've often said I don't have a problem giving up a beer so someone else can eat. I'm less inclined to give up a beer so someone else can have a beer. I'm certainly not inclined to skip one of my bills so someone else can have a beer.
