"Altruism" the art of self sacrifice. Good or Bad?

Question

Good for what? Good for who?

Answer 1

It stands to reason that, where there's a sacrifice being made, there's somebody collecting the offerings. And you can be darn sure that the person who preaches sacrifice to you want to be the collector.

Self-sacrifice is not necessary in order to refrain from hurting people. Work hard, keep only what you earn, make amends and reparations with those you might harm, obtain and maintain all those things important to you, concern yourself only with the objects of your love, live your life to the fullest, and never accept unearned guilt. The choice is not between "sacrifice yourself to others" or "sacrifice others to yourself."

Answer 2

Self sacrifice is not an art like magic.If you sacrifice yourself to good than it is a sacrifice that can help the world to light a fire in their hearts.Example Jesus he sacrificed himself so we may see the love of God and God the father hos son so we can see his love.of course the sacrifice was to wash us away from everything bad we do.If you dont sacrifice for good or accept a sacrifice than you know not love.

Answer 3

It depends on who you ask.
Myself, I believe that moderation is key. If you are on either extreme, pure altruism or pure selfishness, you are in for trouble.
Two great books about either end of the spectrum are Atlas Shrugged and Magnificent Obsession. Both make excellent arguments for their position (and are great reads).

Answer 4

well i suppose we could all sacrifice something. if its for the good of others.

i think we american should sacrifice alot to help people in 3rd world counties. one example is sacrificing fuel and time simply to haul fresh water and basic foods to places like africa. considerignthey need it.

if itll help them....i dont see why we wont. its not like it would impact us very much. but alas, where we are driving our giant hummers, sitting in the lap of luxury, doing nothing but waiting for the next gadget to come around so we can spend our money on it.

sad really.

i drink alot of water. i know that sounds odd but i find myself often filling a pitcher (so i dont have to keep going back to the kitchen) and watching it fill up. then i think about all those people in Africa, fighting over their chance at the little water pump, just to get a bit of dirty H20.

and im serious, i really do think about it.

what would it take to simply fill giant containers and fly them down there?

not much....but people dont really care, do they?

maybe ill join some organization that does that.

and once again....im serious.

Answer 5

It can be both. Having sympathy for others is something everyone should have, and yet you should also be aware of yourself and not completely devote yourself to helping others, because you're human too.

Answer 6

depends

if you are denying yourself something for a greater good, possibly a longer lasting good, that's great and in fact a wise investment

if you are denying yourself something, for the sake of denial... not