Are you selfless?

Answer 1

Every week, sometimes I don't know in advance which day it will be, I drop into our local Hospital's detox and mental health facility.
I never know who will be there, or their circumstances...and I sit down near them and listen to what they have to say. And then I might share with them a part of what I went through. I let them know that I am not that different from them.

I am the only volunteer that is allowed "behind the lines". It is a very unique position.
I try to pass on to them a message of hope, and let them know that they are special and loved by others.( Their self-esteem is generally very low.)...and that they CAN overcome their problems...albeit by small 'baby' steps.

By the time I am on my way out, I have received many 'thank you's', and 'handshakes', that they couldn't believe someone cared enough to come and listen. They have received a little random gift of hope, and a knowledge that they will get through the day, and things will only get better.

Answer 2

'Self-indulgent' would be a better way to describe myself.
Everything I intentionally do involves some expectation to some degree, and whether or not I do any particular thing is determined by a reasonable 'best guess' in advance for it's success. I could not even BEGIN to relate to someone that is totally selfless...as I don't have the ability to imagine such a state of mind. To me, that's utterly incomprehensible. I don't mean to say that it's bad, or wrong, or good, or desireable, just that I can't think that way, in a world where exploitation rules.
On the other hand, the 'I couldn't care less' approach has it's benefits, where others self-induced problems, disputes, fights and wars are concerned. In this case, selflessness is necessary to avoid taking sides, and letting others rent space in my head, or in my heart. This lack of partiality prevents a large and destructive waste of time, and without it I'd be LOST, trying to get involved in others problems, getting stuck doing other's work, and trying (unsuccessfully) to control everything, and everyone.
If this answer seems contradictory, suffice to say that I no longer feel the need to compete anymore, for anything. The competitive ones will eliminate each other for me, and I will get the goodies and the leftovers by default.

Answer 3

Some have hit on this theme, but as a parent one becomes about as selfless as anyone can get in this day and age. I learned to give of myself as never before once I had children. And, this harmony eventually spilled over into my life as well. Selflessness is one of the most difficult virtues to master, and I have met very few who have accomplished it. I am not entirely selfless, but I strive toward such a goal. To give up the self, one must master interconnectivity with all things and people. This is easier to do with one's own children, and perhaps a good starting point....

Answer 4

I am far from selfless. Since becoming a parent I do more selfless acts but not as many as I should. To badly quote something I heard on TV once, No good deed is completely selfless because when we help others it makes us feel good within, making it an action done to help as well as making us proud of our action.

Answer 5

True Self-ishness always leads to joy, because it is motivated always by
the desire to feel as good as possible. It is only when we are Self-ish
enough to be, do and act in accordance with our desires (not someone
else’s) that it is possible to stay balanced. Energetically speaking, a
desire is a rush of life force energy, a connection to the divine inner
self, which can never result in actions that are harmful. It is only
when true desires are blocked that they become twisted and ugly. This
statement goes against the common wisdom that human nature is greedy,
violent and primitive. Human nature is precisely the opposite: we are
born knowing ourselves as powerful, eternal, spiritual beings. Petty,
competitive, churlish and violent behavior must be
overcome with suitable practice. Observe your family, friends
and coworkers. Almost all of them are good people, trying to do the best
they can. It would simply not be possible to build a sophisticated
society if human nature was so base. All successful societies are based
upon cooperation, not competition. Competition works not because it is
adversarial, but because it inspires teamwork. Ask two angry guys to get
something constructive done, it is not going to happen. All
success is based upon cooperation. That is because we live in an
attraction based universe.

These natural impulses are supposed to be dangerous because they stem
from a primitive survival instinct. But human being has a bette mind
than animals. Just look around at the mess the world is in! But that is
a delusional assertion, a denial of the basic nature of consciousness
itself. The natural impulses of human nature stem from a connection to
life force, and it is resistance to this divine impulse which causes the
selfish behavior people object to.

If you observe people you will quickly see that those persons who are
most alive are full of desire, and those who look lifeless have little
or no desire. Desire = life force. Shut off desire = selfish behavior.
It's ironic that selfish behavior actually results from self-denial.

Human nature is not a primitive, biological instinct based on survival
of the fittest, it’s a pure connection to source energy. It is divine.
It's only when that connection is closed off that selfish behavior is
demonstrated. Every one of your desires is, in its non-resisted state,
joyful and balanced, because that is an inherent property of
consciousness itself. True selfishness is allowance of desire, without
resistance, and results in the impulse to give freely to others. But it
is first necessary to allow that impulse within yourself.

http://kjmaclean.com/Selfishness.html

Answer 6

quite selfish actually

Answer 7

X

Answer 8

no