Toni_no12002 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I heard of someone that everything we do we do it for self gain.I said to this person that i give blood surely that isnt purely a selfish reason.But when i thought about it giving blood made me feel that i was being a nice person it made me feel better about myself.Is this true that everything we do even listening to friends problems is truely about ourselves?Are we all this selfish? Link to post Share on other sites
boshemia Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 It depends on your definition of selfish. The dictionary says: selfish (concerned chiefly or only with yourself and your advantage to the exclusion of others) To the exclusion of others is the important part of that phrase. In my experience the only people who call something like giving blood or volunteer work selfish... are those who feel like you are doing it to the exclusion of THEM! lol I swear everything in life always seems to boil down to guilt! Link to post Share on other sites
princesspeaches Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I heard of someone that everything we do we do it for self gain.I said to this person that i give blood surely that isnt purely a selfish reason.But when i thought about it giving blood made me feel that i was being a nice person it made me feel better about myself.Is this true that everything we do even listening to friends problems is truely about ourselves?Are we all this selfish? One of my teachers this semester talks about this every class. He thinks that everything each person does if in their own personal self interest and gain. Everything you do is in your self interest, even giving blood. It's in your personal interest to donate because it makes you feel good as a person. Therefore by giving you are gaining an ego boost if you will. I wouldn't call it being selfish, its a matter of being driven by personal interests, wants and needs. As for listening to your friends problems, aside from being a good friend, you are giving advice and gaining the opportunity to complain to them about something, maybe? Link to post Share on other sites
Author Toni_no12002 Posted March 5, 2007 Author Share Posted March 5, 2007 I always listen to my friends problems ive never been the sort of person to talk about my own to them.Listening to peoples problems is being a good friend but sometimes i wonder do people do it so that it makes them a good person? I think that maybe giving blood does make me feel a little better about myself but im glad that i can help people also. What about these people who risk there lifes to save other people?is it because they wouldnt be able to live with the guilt if they didnt do something or would it just be automatic without even thinking about anything else? I cant see people standing there while someones dying or something and then thinking to thereselves oh i better do something or i will feel guilty! Im confused lol Would it make someone selfish if they was scared of dying and just stood there while someone was trapped inside a buring building? Either way you can say that that person is selfish.There either selfish because they havent done anything or they are selfish because they thought if they didnt do anything then theyd feel guilty. sorry im blabbing on lol Link to post Share on other sites
tashhhhh Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Selfish? I don’t think that’s quite the right word, though a majority of us are selfish too. . .I can admit to having self-centred traits, however, something like giving blood is good but it’s not entirely altruistic because, yes, you feel good after donating some of your blood because you feel like you’re helping, but that doesn’t mean you’re selfish. It’s simply human nature; everything we do has cause and effect and we have to deal with our conscience and our own thoughts and feelings about whatever it is that has taken place. It doesn’t make us selfish, it makes us human. My thoughts, anyway =]] Link to post Share on other sites
lindya Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I agree that people are driven by self interest in everything - even altruism - but does it matter if the outcome is positive and the altruistic person feels happy enough with what they're doing? Doing something that creates a postive outcome for someone else is surely a more productive use of time than slobbing around in an ivory tower, quoting Nietzsche and filing one's toenails into a perfect curve. Link to post Share on other sites
princessa Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 It's human nature... it goes down to our very instincts, we all seek to experience pleasure and avoid pain... pretty much everything is driven by self-interest at some level... Link to post Share on other sites
quankanne Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I think that maybe giving blood does make me feel a little better about myself but i'm glad that i can help people also. I think that last part of your statement sets apart those who are givers from those who act on selfish motives. It's like giving away fistsfull of honey – some of it sticks with you, even as you share it. But that's okay, because both of you are getting enjoyment from that treat. good to see you back, Toni – how's your little one doing? And how have you been? Link to post Share on other sites
Author Toni_no12002 Posted March 5, 2007 Author Share Posted March 5, 2007 I suppose that its just the way we are wired.I am glad that im helping people but i dont want to be just doing it to make myself feel better. well some people save lifes by rescuing people i give blood lol Everythings fine ty for asking apart from my lil one driving me insane not that i wasnt before lol hes at that age where he wont stop!!! arggh lol Link to post Share on other sites
Lights Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 I heard of someone that everything we do we do it for self gain.I said to this person that i give blood surely that isnt purely a selfish reason.But when i thought about it giving blood made me feel that i was being a nice person it made me feel better about myself.Is this true that everything we do even listening to friends problems is truely about ourselves?Are we all this selfish? Not absolutely everything. Oftentimes social scientists like to model everyone as being "rationally self-interested", but not absolutely all interactions necessarily are rational or self-interested. I wouldn't worry about it; giving blood is a noble thing to do. Link to post Share on other sites
LaughMachine Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 This is what I came up with, because I've thought about the same thing. We can only feel what we feel so It's only human nature to gain things for ourselves. There is only so much we can do to help other people Truly being selfish would be thinking ONLY of yourself every single day. At times I see the selfishiness in me but than I tell myself at how giving I actually can be and really mean it. Link to post Share on other sites
monkey00 Posted March 18, 2007 Share Posted March 18, 2007 We do, some people will argue that there are no selfish reasons behind selfless acts - like saving someone from a burning building, etc. But there are, it may range from getting recognition/acknowledgement for the deed or just for making one feel good for the act..or perhaps the act is belief that it could help one get into heaven...etc. there are a few rare occurences where one could could act based on instinct within such a split second - which would truly be a selfless act...but even so no one would know it was an unselfish act except one's self. Link to post Share on other sites
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