Isn't selfish desire for our own self the cause of many ills in the world today?

No, the problem is thinking too much about other people. If each individual took care of his/her own individual self, the world would be an easy place in which to live. When we start getting too involved with other people, we end up sticking our noses in places they don't belong....and the next thing you know, we have catastrophes like the Iraq War.