Why be good?

[SteelCurtain]

The answer is because it does not please me to be a shitty person. I have feelings and emotions and empathy. I do not want to cause harm. It makes me feel good to do good. So I try to do good as much as I can.

The question this begs is a big one, Randy, and one I'd like you to answer. Is the only reason you try to be a good person because of the fear of recompense? If you didn't fear hell, would you magically desire to rape and steal and lie all the time?

Mike-

Do you try to show up for work on time every day because if you don't you might get fired or lose a pay raise? We ALL act out of fear of the stick sometimes, don't we? Not always, but sometimes? Did you ever go to class to avoid failing even though you were hung over? Or take out the trash because you didn't want her going to bed mad at you when you had "plans"...if you get my drift?

I'm not dodging your question, but I think answering it on a personal level would take this thread in a very different direction.

So, I have to steer it back this way: if (hypothetically) if someone is going to scratch and claw his way to the top of the company ladder or get elected president or seduce the hottest woman in the room, etc., and these things are in his best interest, why shouldn't he prove or exert his dominance by taking that job, that woman, etc. regardless of how he does it?

Don't the strongest survive and weakest die off?

And if it is in the best interest of the strongest individual or society or nation, etc, to subjugate another individual or nation in some manner, so what? 

Why be good when outweighed by the advantages of being bad?

You really can't just have a normal conversation, can you Randy? Answer a question, no. Create a strawman, answer the question you wanted me to ask, sure.

So instead of answering the question, you're going to steer this towards some social Darwinism crap that no one here has even remotely suggested? What are you doing? Do you really think anyone here has actually intimated that 'survival of the fittest' is our objective morality? Have you read the thread?

Clearly not. It's not going how you wanted, so you're just plowing ahead so it fits your Word document.