The basic ingredient of a Hedonist's life

Time & again i've wondered why the negative connotation to the word "EGOISM"?? Ratiocination supplemented by substantive discussions with a couple of friends and a peep into a few articles here and there has finally helped me form an opinion.

Egoism ~ the principle that we should each act so as to promote our own interests and the advantage of such a position is that it avoids any possible conflict between morality and self-interest; if it is rational for us to pursue our own interest, the rationality of morality is equally clear. Morality aint compromised if it is not altruism!! Is there anybody out there to negate this?

Sans egoism, there cannot be altruism...oxymoronic you may say, but how would you invest your interest in others without working on them in the first place?

I happend to bump into this preaching by Sri Sathya Sai Baba - “All religions teach one basic discipline - the removal from the mind of the blemish of egoism, of running after little joys.”. I am not an atheist but i choose to be an infidel if this is what religion has to teach me.....