(July 1, 2015 at 2:23 pm)smax Wrote: How many people do you think are charitable and like to help people and yet do not have any expectation of, in the very least feeling better about themselves as a result? And, for many others, there are even more significant motivations at work, like personal recognition or having someone feel like they owe them an unspoken debt of some kind.
I call those people assholes. They're not to be emulated, or placed as an example of how normal people act, IMO.
Doing charitable acts because you like the warm fuzzies? Sure, that's acceptable.
But, maybe I'm weird, but when I donate money and/or time to a charity, my biggest concern is that the people involved get the help they need. I don't do it for the feelings, but sometimes the feelings crop up afterward naturally. I think that's an important distinction.
Quote:When you say most people "don't think like that", surely you know that is a very naive generalization, right? Do you really believe that people, in general, operate without an agenda of some kind or at least on some small level?
You seem to think that people act with a selfish agenda all the time. I know, with absolute certainty, that I don't. Most of the time? Sure, self-interest plays into it to a certain extent. But it doesn't motivate all my actions. I expect nothing in return from my friends or family, and a lot of what I do I simply do. Whether it's listening to them vent, or helping them with a computer issue, or whatever. And I don't even get warm fuzzies doing a lot of it. It's just something that I have the ability and time to provide, so why not? It's no big deal. It's not even a way of alleviating boredom. I have plenty of things available to me for entertainment.
And I'm not trying to pull some sort of "I'm more moral than you" crap by saying this. Nor am I being obstinate for shits and giggles. I honestly don't do everything with the expectation of getting some kind of feedback - emotional or otherwise - in return. Maybe I'm deficient, I don't know.
"I was thirsty for everything, but blood wasn't my style" - Live, "Voodoo Lady"