-
Posts
-
we were all put on this earth to help others?
Can you think of your last true act of altruism or was it reciprocal.
It shouldn’t be! :?
we know it shouldnt be but was it?
I do stuff all the time… I dont store if Im owed… I just look after the people I love and I help others if its appropriate… i donate time and money to UNICEF and I support Cancer Research
@a certain sadness wrote:
we know it shouldnt be but was it?
A friend is a friend – reckon that about says it all :)
I think i would help any close friend of mine but i was thinking more about complete strangers, say a man in the street begging for money.
If you tell others about your acts of altruism then does that stop them being altruistic?
I wouldnt say that jen, i know there are probably many mystery donors to charities who like to stay anonymous, but i wouldnt think any less of them if they publicised it.
It can also make a difference to our own level of self satisfaction.I dont mean throwing a fiver to someone in the street makes me feel less guilty about having a million in the bank, but it can make us appreciate how fortunate we are in life and give us some perspective.I guess where I was coming from was that to be truly altruistic then you do something with total selflessness and no expectation of reward or recognition. The act itself should be enough. If you then publicise your act, the only reason to do so would be for people to admire you and tell you what a great person you are, which takes away the selflessness.
But then I believe that everything we do, however selfless it may appear, is for selfish reasons. If we do something for someone else it makes us feel good about ourselves which is a selfish reason. It’s not a bad selfishness at all though, but taken to its extreme it does throw into question whether there is ever a truly selfless and altruistic act.
what about a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to protect his comrades.
Get involved in this discussion! Log in or register now to have your say!