I think she was. She (and every other person who claims to be self-sacrificng) are selfish. They give everything they have materially, so that they can feel good emotionally. But they don't admit it.
Anybody agree with me here?
2006-12-09 10:44:45 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Psychology
Hmm...never heard of that author or the book, but I'll have to check them out :)
2006-12-09 10:49:40 · update #1
For those curious, I was using Mother Theresa as an example that those people who "Self-sacrifice" are not doing it because they really care about the peope, but for the emotional "fulfillment" that they get.
2006-12-09 11:44:51 · update #2
thats an interesting point but if you think about it then, everyone is selfish. like, all those people who don't work for like next to nothing because they are selfish and think only of their and their family's own lives. other people need to purchase goods for a cheaper price and its inconsiderate of them to only think of themselves, right? or not...think about it, can you say a starving person is selfish because they don't want to die and let another, healthier person eat because the healthier person has more to live for? so what if the starving man dies? he eventually will in the end, and when he does he would have consumed energy that another person could have used and he has in the end contributed nothing to the world.
people that donate to charity are selfish because they just want to ease their conscience, right? if this is the case, can anyone be unselfish? what would you consider an unselfish person, someone who does good deeds and also commits so many unforgivable crimes that insure the person will have a bad afterlife?
2006-12-09 11:06:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Been reading Ayn Rand? If not, you should. Her Virtue of Selfishness says just what you are saying.
Now whether I agree with the theory is something else. I tend to lend a little more credence to the idea of compassion than Rand does, but I can't deny she has a point.
I think in the case it's more complicated because there is a religious structure involved. The devoutly religious tend to be hard to peg because many things they do are not based in a metaphysically rational realm. They think more about the after life than the here and now. That being said, the argument can be made that that belief in itself shows selfishness, ie; the way to go to heaven is to do good things on Earth, so I must do good things on Earth to be rewarded with heaven.
That being said, it doesn't make her contributions mean any less.
2006-12-09 10:47:18 · answer #2 · answered by Mrs. Bass 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, I can definitely see how someone who sacrifies everything to help the poor. Yeah, she was so selfish. She sacrificed everything, because she wanted to help people and it isn't wrong if she felt fer filled at the end of the day. After everything she gave up and did, she deserved to feel fer filled. She did good work and when you do good work you tend to feel fer filled. There is nothing wrong with that. Not because you can't see yourself doing everything she did, only for a thank you. Doesn't mean that it wasn't true. Think before you speak, write and take action.
2006-12-09 11:02:17 · answer #3 · answered by J.Bo 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What did Mother Theresa have that was material other than the clothes on her back? She spent her days helping the sick and those in need.
I, myself, give nothing material because material things carry no value but only to those people who are defined by those things. I give my time and love and knowledge. Thiings that are remembered either way, but remembered nonetheless.
What do you give, might I ask?
2006-12-09 11:04:32 · answer #4 · answered by â¤??? ?å???? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, Mother Theresa was very loving and caring to all people, especially the poor and the unwanted. It's too bad that there aren't more people out there like her.
2006-12-09 10:53:58 · answer #5 · answered by mandm 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
But is that necessarily a bad thing?
Let's say that is why she was self-sacrificing,
She feels good emotionally, and others get helped out. Everybody wins
2006-12-09 10:51:18 · answer #6 · answered by TheThinker 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i coud agree we dont always know what someone's
true motiv woud be in the
darkest place of her soul,,,but ma teresa woud stay
w ppl w aids and other contagious diseases for long periods.
if she woud'v contractd somethin from these
ppl how woud it make her feel emotionally good?
2006-12-09 11:16:42 · answer #7 · answered by use 2b light 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
But she really did self-sacrifice...no matter what her personal reasons were.
2006-12-09 11:26:16 · answer #8 · answered by Aquamarine 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Dustin, I'm going to beat you like a rented mule!
2006-12-09 10:52:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why are you trashing Mama T?
2006-12-09 11:39:56 · answer #10 · answered by Nels 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋