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Esel_Gesi
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Location: Chicago
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 Posted: Thu, 8th Mar 2007 08:54 Post subject: A real discussion.... |
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first off I would like to request only legitimate answers be posted in this thread ( i.e. keep all the use of 'hi2u' and 'faggot' talk in the useless void).
As long as I can remember I have had the impression that NO act is unselfish. I am definitely a cynic in every sense of the word. I am curious as to if others feel like I do or if i am just being overly pessimistic about life in general.
Let me know you feeling on this theory...
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| Posted: Thu, 8th Mar 2007 18:41 Post subject: |
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I don't think so, it depends on how you turn things you can say people do stuff to feel good afterwards, but how do you know if they really do it out of that reason? If some idiot joins jehova's church or whatever and gives up all his money, he thinks god will ike him. But whatever it depends on how you see things
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| Posted: Thu, 8th Mar 2007 18:51 Post subject: |
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NO act is 100% unselfish. Even if you help someone sincerely, you'll inevitably think "damn, I'm such a good guy". If a soldier sacrifices himself to save his brothers he thinks "Heh, they'll all remember me as a hero - the guys here and all the others back home". Etc, etc, etc. Proved bny psychologists.
BUT - and it's a big 'but' - it's perfectly ok as long as those thoughts come AFTER you feel the urge to do something and start doing it. It means you act sincerely and that's more important than anything.
Even if you love your girl/woman and stay faithful towards her you still keep looking at other girls thinking 'i'd hit it'. It doesn't mean you're bad - it's just the human nature. Same with those little selfish thougts.
"Only one country can destroy NATO in 40 minutes - it's Russia"
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Esel_Gesi
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| Posted: Thu, 8th Mar 2007 19:26 Post subject: |
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| Vodka-Redbull wrote: | NO act is 100% unselfish. Even if you help someone sincerely, you'll inevitably think "damn, I'm such a good guy". If a soldier sacrifices himself to save his brothers he thinks "Heh, they'll all remember me as a hero - the guys here and all the others back home". Etc, etc, etc. Proved bny psychologists.
BUT - and it's a big 'but' - it's perfectly ok as long as those thoughts come AFTER you feel the urge to do something and start doing it. It means you act sincerely and that's more important than anything.
Even if you love your girl/woman and stay faithful towards her you still keep looking at other girls thinking 'i'd hit it'. It doesn't mean you're bad - it's just the human nature. Same with those little selfish thougts. |
Well put. I like the idea of the selfish thoughts coming after the fact. With me it seems more like they are subconscious thoughts though and I think that I will benefit before and even during the act.
I guess it is just the degree of selfishness that matters or, perhaps, whether you do the act based on your gain compared to what you have to put out.
I think my main problem is that when someone asks me for a favor i automatically start the 'what's in it for me?' thought process. I feel guilty about this quite often but it's something I can't help. So maybe the closest thing to an unselfish act is one of those instant decisions like a soldier falling on a grenade to save the others. |
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nouseforaname
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WaldoJ
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| Posted: Thu, 8th Mar 2007 19:42 Post subject: |
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| Sin317 wrote: | | I win, you lose. Or Go fuck yourself. |
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| Posted: Thu, 8th Mar 2007 23:27 Post subject: |
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Altruism breeds misstrust.
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Esel_Gesi
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| Posted: Thu, 8th Mar 2007 23:54 Post subject: |
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Just the notion of altruism is what I think is the most vexing part of this. I would love to believe in it because It seems like that is what we should be striving for. Bettering the world around us should be a priority but we seem to get sucked into this almost apathetic laziness pattern. It sickens me that most of the time I am more concerned about material things and other random bullshit rather than the things that should be important. Even if it is human nature it still doesn't seem right.
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Invasor
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| Posted: Fri, 9th Mar 2007 03:00 Post subject: |
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I think about that often, actually. And I also feel the same, I guess it is human nature to be selfish, but doesnt seem right.
Life is so weird anyway, what are we all doing here? Im sure everyone has an answer (or even several), but Im also sure no one really knows.
I guess something more on topic would be "why should I be altruistic?", "why bother?"... Cuz in the end it will be good for me too, if I improve the society I live in, it will be better for me too... so where's the altruism?
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Esel_Gesi
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Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Fri, 9th Mar 2007 05:37 Post subject: |
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| Invasor wrote: | | ...so where's the altruism? |
I don't think we are capable of it 
I don't think we should take the apathy approach though. It is still something to strive for. |
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