I hope to help people open their minds and widen their perspectives. We see the world the same everyday when there are really limitless ways to see it. I want to help those who disagree with society. I want to help those who have compassion, but who may not be religious. I want to help those who think they are different, but who are in fact brilliant.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Is There a Selfless Act?
There has been an argument made that a truly selfless act doesn't exist. Even if you do something without telling anybody about it, you are still in deed doing it for yourself. (As a way of making yourself feel good about yourself). Is it true though that nobody can make a selfless decision without getting something out of it? First, we should define what selfless means. Typically, we consider someone or something selfless if they care more about someone else's needs than their own. If I want to watch a football game but my little brother wants to go to the park, then taking him to the park would be considered a selfless act. Of course, when we make a selfless decision, we are giving up something of our own--which may be as simple as our time. God can also be a negator of a selfless act, because some people do good with the hope that God is watching them. They believe that they will be rewarded in return for their good deed. Whether or not that reward comes is insignificant. Most of what we can think of--which does not include everything--includes some kind of reward in response to a person's selfless action. So in that aspect, maybe there is no such thing as a purely selfless act. But, we shouldn't let that take away from actions or behaviors that most of us would consider to be selfless. Consider the previous example I have given. Although I may feel good about myself for choosing my brother over my game, isn't still a pretty selfless act? Why should we feel guilty for feeling good about ourselves? So yes, ideal selflessness may not exist but does it really matter?
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