{Footnote 1} Man’s own, which he derives by inheritance from his parents, is nothing but dense evil (n. 210, 215, 731, 876, 987, 1047, 2307, 2308, 3518, 3701, 3812, 8480, 8550, 10283, 10284, 10286, 10731).  Man’s own is loving self more than God, and the world more than heaven, and making nothing of one’s neighbor in comparison with oneself, except for the sake of self, that is one’s own self; thus it consists in love of self and of the world (n. 694, 731, 4317, 5660).  All evils flow from the love of self and the love of the world when these predominate (n. 1307, 1308, 1321, 1594, 1691, 3413, 7255, 7376, 7488, 7489, 8318, 9335, 9348, 10038, 10742).  These evils are contempt of others, enmity, hatred, revenge, cruelty, deceit (n. 6667, 7370, 7374, 9348, 10038, 10742).  From these evils all falsity flows (n. 1047, 10283, 10284, 10286).

558. [b.] That the love of self is the opposite of love to the neighbor can be seen from the origin and essence of both.  The love of the neighbor of one who is in the love of self begins with oneself, for he claims that everyone is neighbor to himself; and it goes forth from him as its center to all who make one with him, diminishing in accordance with the degree of their conjunction with him by love.  All outside of this circle are regarded as of no account; and those who are opposed to those in the circle and to their evils are accounted as enemies, whatever their character may be, however wise, upright, honest, or just.  But spiritual love to the neighbor begins with the Lord, and goes forth from Him as its center to all who are conjoined to Him by love and faith, going forth in accordance with the quality of their love and faith.{1} Evidently, then, the love of the neighbor that has its beginning in man is the opposite of the love to the neighbor that has its beginning in the Lord; and the former proceeds from evil because it proceeds from what is man’s own, while the latter proceeds from good because it proceeds from the Lord, who is good itself.  Evidently, also, the love of the neighbor that proceeds from man and from what is his own is corporeal, while the love to the neighbor that proceeds from the Lord is heavenly.  In a word, in the man in whom love of self prevails that love constitutes the head, and heavenly love constitutes the feet.  On that love he stands; and if it does not serve him he tramples it under foot.  This is the cause of the appearance that those who are cast down into hell fall with the head downward towards hell, and with the feet upwards towards heaven (see above, n. 548).

{Footnote 1} Those who do not know what it is to love the neighbor imagine every man to be a neighbor, and that good is to be done to everyone who is in need of help (n. 6704).  They also believe that everyone is neighbor to himself, and thus that love to the neighbor begins with self (n. 6933).  Those who love themselves above all things, that is, with whom self-love prevails, also make love