Does helping out another human being simply to make yourself feel better truly make you a better person? Or would the act of selfishness in helping out another overweigh the act of helping? In other words, given that a truly selfless act can lead toward self improvment, then would that act truly be selfless? or, in that matter, is selfishness the base root of human kindness?
2007-01-20 05:00:31 · 6 answers · asked by quizikin 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
I think there's a basic need to feel good about one's self behind everything we do, no matter how charitable or altruistic we seem. And that's OK. It's just the way we're wired, our internal motivator, without which we'd all just sit on the sofa and vegetate. Maybe if we weren't motivated that way there wouldn't be any good done in the world, and the good is what matters, not the why. How do you feel about someone who does something bad and then does something good to make up for it or with whatever he gained because of what he did bad? Should you not accept the good because of the bad?
2007-01-20 05:09:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Helping someone tends to make you feel like a better person. I believe that the best kind of help (or charity or whatever you want to call it) is done so the person receiving the kindness doesn't feel the obligation.
Say someone needs something I can give them but they hesitate accepting it because they don't like feeling beholden or look like they are accepting charity. I try to find a way to make it feel that they are doing ME the favor of taking "whatever" off my hands.
I have a girlfriend who doesn't have a lot of spending money and her daughter can always use an outfit or shoes or something. I explain that I was cleaning out a closet and found a bag of clothes that I just have no room for and my kid has outgrown. I explain that some of the clothes even still have tags on them because they must have gotten mixed up or pushed to the back of the closet. Would she be an angel and take them off my hands as I just don't have any space. OR I explain that I cooked too much food (I'm used to cooking for a bunch) and would she please take the extra off my hands so it doesn't go to waste.
There are a lot of ways to do a kindness without the other person feeling funky. It's called "altruism" and it makes you feel good whether you want it to or not.
2007-01-20 13:43:45 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Selflessness is doing something without looking for something in return, but if Karma takes care of you it doesn't make the deed selfish.
2007-01-20 13:07:12 · answer #3 · answered by BAnne 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Helping someone just to make yourself feel better is pretty selfish. You shouldn't be kind to people expecting something in return, to get into any kind of heaven, or make yourself feel better.
You should help people because they NEED it and you're able to help them.
2007-01-20 13:07:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
if you help people if you want to or not ,your still doing them a favor either way its good thing. If you didnt want to do it then your being a even better person cuz you could have said no but you didnt. you doing the favor without hesitation is even better
2007-01-20 13:05:31 · answer #5 · answered by allurluv 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes
2007-01-20 13:04:54 · answer #6 · answered by Deadhead Incognito 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋