Altruism to what extent does it play a roll in your life? 10 points for best answer!!?

Question

This is a feed back poll, It would be interest to read your true from the bottom of your heart responses.

The point wont necessarily go to the most Altruistic answer but to best based no believability.
There is a greater chance of get the points if you come across as being honest .

If your answer is that you consider yourself to highly Altruistic, to whom in the answer list would you give your 10 points

For Info. behind the reason for asking this Q to to
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071208110935AA1vhUe&r=w#Q5tnWWjOAFLhbBse4_zv

For Info. behind the reason for asking this Q go to
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071208110935AA1vhUe&r=w#Q5tnWWjOAFLhbBse4_zv

Answer 1

I have a hard time with this concept. I think that most people do good deeds because it makes them feel good. That is, in my opinion, selfish. And by definition, altruism is selfless. However, that is not to say that is a bad thing. Selfishness has such bad connotation attached to it. It can be good, especially in the case of doing for others. Would people still be inclined to do these good deeds if it made them feel like crap to do them?

I understand that it is possible... as in putting yourself in harms way to protect someone, etc.

I am in a Swing dance troupe. We perform for youth groups and elderly groups. We get involved with organizations to help with their fund raising efforts. It is definitely worthwhile and we help people. I do not get paid for it; it is strictly volunteer. I spend at least 6 hours a week toward this. Do I do it simply because I want to help? No, I do it because it makes me feel good and because I love to dance.

Answer 2

I'm not sure what exactly altruism is.. is it doing the right thing by others? Maybe I'm confusing it with morality.. Anyway..

At the start of uni semester I bought my textbooks and the lady behind the counter was very busy, and accidentally typed in $0.45 into the EFTPOS machine instead of $45. I didn't realize this until I went home.

Being a poor uni student it could be tempting to keep the 'win' but my strong belief in karma wins over every time and it did not feel good or right to keep it. And I thought about the lady who made the mistake and I didn't want her to get in trouble when they cashed back for the day. So the next morning I took the receipt back to her and got her to charge me the rest.

Otherwise I try and help people as much as possible. One of my friends really struggles with essay writing and often I will go in my own time to help her write and research her assignments to help with her grades because I'm good at writing essays. It makes me feel good but it also makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing 'because I can'.

If I thought of myself as highly altruistic (which I can't because I don't really know what it means!) I would give the 10 points to Kyle W because that is so so true about anonymous giving :)

Answer 3

i do no longer think of altruism performs a function in somebody's existence. i think there is a minimum of a miniscule hint of a egocentric objective that drives each thing a guy or woman does. whether you're committed to creating human beings happy, it would only be considering you hit upon exhilaration in making human beings happy. no one would do something without the desire of earning some reward for doing so.

Answer 4

I think you got very honest answers here - so I hope you are satisfied.

I answer questions that are interesting to me and I don't worry about the 10 points - not because I don't want to win, but because I know sooner or later, I will win another question and another question and I will get to the top - so if it takes longer, I don't care - what's the hurry?

As far as altruism goes, my good deed that I do for myself and for the street cats is that I feed them. I love feeding them - it makes me feel good and happy to know that I am helping them to survive. I love watching them eat and sometimes, if one of the cats lets me pet her or if a cat rubs against me, I feel very happy because I love the interaction between me and the cats - ok, I admit it - I am a cat lover therefore, it's not a selfless thing because I do it for myself too as I just told you.

Answer 5

I could care less about the 10 points, but did go out Christmas shopping for two poor kids I've never met before and who'll never meet me. I got their Christmas lists through an agency. I do anonymous stuff like this all the time, because I think anonymous giving is the truest form.

Answer 6

Lets be truthful here, I do care about the 10 points. This question is also very interesting to me, so that also has a part to do with my choice to answer it.

I don't believe in altruism. Why? Because caring for others just for the selfless reason to care for others is impossible because we cannot feel anything outside our own body and mind. Thats just fact.

Now do I believe in helping others? Yes of course. Not because "it makes us feel good". I find that so cliche. But we understand as intelligent highly social and organised beings that helping others is beneficial for all. How so? We know that when we are stranded on the street we would like someone to look out for us, so when we see someone stranded, we tend to want to also look out. Kind of like you scratch my back and I scratch yours. Its called receprical alturism, as opposed to pure alturism.

Don't get me wrong. Being peaceful with yourself, a tendacy to help others, having a generous and giving heart are all realistic plausable characteristics people might have. But this does not exemplify pure altruism. In all of the latter examples, they are traits which are acted upon strictly for oneself to feel good about themselves. Has nothing to do with others feelings, primarily ones own. Its a really hard concept to put ones mind around, primarily because people usually think, "hold on, I do like helping people and making others 'feelings' feel good even though I get nothing out of it". But where they go wrong is that they fail to see the origins, and make the fine distinctions that make all the difference. You help that person because it makes you feel good inside, and you become a better person.

If this wasn't the case capitalism wouldn't work.
Truth hurts sometimes, but it doesn't have to be talked about in such a harsh manner. I personally don't like to think about the realities of alturism. I perfer settling with my surface feelings and not to dig too deep in my subconcious levels of why I do things. Why? Cause sometimes that doesn't make me 'feel' good.
Thank You
Rashad

Answer 7

It plays a role, because I know a large part of life is what has been given to us in one form or another and luck in one form or another. I don't believe in holding onto anything too tightly. I'd rather roll the dice some and also be generous some, because I know that's at the core of life and it makes me feel alive.

I WOULD DONATE MY 10 PTS TO RAY R.

Answer 8

Altruism is avery curious thing. It is described as the selfless act of doing something for the welfare of others. But don't we often do stuff for others because it just makes us feel good.

Answer 9

what is altruism?