(February 11, 2013 at 5:02 pm)Baalzebutt Wrote: I went to McDonalds with my girlfriend for lunch today. As we sat there eating, there was a homeless guy wandering around outside. He looked hungry so I asked him if i could get him something to eat. I ended up getting him a burger and some fries.
I suspect that you're not looking for kudos for this selfless act - but I'm going to give them anyway. Kudos to you.
(February 11, 2013 at 5:02 pm)Baalzebutt Wrote: Doing this got me to thinking about doing good things without god being involved. I had recently heard about an organization that does charity work and events from a purely humanitarian perspective. I went to look up the organization and I came across this article:
Can we be good without God?
Apparently, it was just stupid of me to buy lunch for that homeless guy...
Quote:Life is too short to jeopardize it by acting out of anything but pure self-interest. Sacrifice for another person is just stupid. Thus the absence of moral accountability from the philosophy of naturalism makes an ethic of compassion and self-sacrifice a hollow abstraction.
I reject what you quoted above. Sacrifice for another is stupid? Must be lonely to live one's life as an island. Is it stupid to make sacrifices for one's children? Family? Community, etc? No. It's possible to sacrifice too much of one's self for one's own good, sure, but that's beside the point.
I'm a fan of the concept of paying it forward. If someone needs help and I'm able to provide it, should they ask how they can repay me, I'll tell them that they can repay the deed by helping someone else in need when they are able to.
