Selfless deed?

IDLEchild

Well-Known Member
An interesting point was brought by someone (on another board).

Selfless deed. We all know that there, technically, is no such thing as a selfless deed because at the core of any action undertaken, which maybe considered charitable or downright righteous, lies an inherent desire to quell ones guilt of humanity or a feeling of general warmth that is craved by all....


...but what about deeds done unintentionally? Some action undertaken which was not meant to be selfless but was accidently in favor of someone else without your knowledge so you weren't meaning of any selfless deed but were without any knowledge of it....a selfless deed indeed.

So upon further thought I gave it pro and cons


PRO

It makes sense. When one sets out to find a seflless deed that quandry is made moot from the get go because the whole notion of finding a selfless deed is to bring satisfaction to your point: that selfless deeds do exist. So as soon as you try to find one your mission has failed because you are quenching your thrist, to prove yourself, so basically doing something for yourself.

...but if one is not set out to be righteous, simply for the love of it or to prove one's self, and an action is undertaken by this individual that effects one or more individuals of no relation to the undertaker then technically a selfless deed was done because no self desire was put into the action and no feelings of gratitude or awards were expected in return of completion of this action....a selfless deed no?

If the individual means no well from this deed and expects nothing and nothing is expected by others...nothing well in above average context anyway but something well is accomplished in above average expectations without any knowledge to the being who did the deed then this deed should be labeled selfless.


CON

No, there still isn't any such thing as a selfless deed because

A) If the deed was not thought of as anything extrodinary then it didn't enter the realm of what classifies as selfless to begin with. Selfless deeds are above or apart from an individuals usual actions...they are done entirely out of love or sympathy so they are only selfless only in the means that they procede the primitive needs of survival and are done for mere or little to no happiness (Subconcious happiness is another concern).

B) Technically selfless deeds aren't selfless in entirety but they are thought of this way because in nature "Only the strong survive" notion is present in every aspect of life and to be rid of this notion for a few paltry moments shows conciousness above that of any species, even though, secretly or not, these deeds do serve its host some very comforting benefits....but if no deeds were done in this set thoughts in mind then those deeds were nothing more than everyday tactics to survive. A cetain mindframe is needed no matter what to perform charitable deeds. Simply living and in some instances during this living if one happens to benefit others without knowledge then that is a happy accident....nothing more.


Neutral (but secretly wants to comment)

One must fiirst decide upon what selfless means in the first place because that is what really the debate comes down to. Is the term selfless being dissected in literal contexts and is, then, appied correctly or, like many words and expressions in the English language, it is being used, loosely, out of context.

The debate isn't much about what is charitable or not as it is about the use of the terms to express this charitable nature. Pros and cons of this subject only further add light to the wrestling over the term more than the act itself.

What do you think?
 
Stop Laughing said:
If it makes you happy, then by all means, do it.

but the idea of a selfless deed is... if it makes THEM happy, and you do it with little or no regard to your own happiness....


am i understanding right?
 
Damn this headache...

I mean if doing a good deed for someone else makes you happy, then do it. Even if it doesn't make you happy (if it doesn't, then either they're expecting too much from you or you're just a bit selfish), then that's up to you.

You don't need a reason to help people.
 
Stop Laughing said:
I think I'm getting a headache. What's wrong with doing a good deed anyways? If it makes you happy, then by all means, do it.

That wasn't the point or was ever mentioned anywhere.

I am not syaing it is wrong to do selfless deeds. The whole point of the thread is the analysis of this different viewpoint: that deeds that are done with no intention of being anything selfless are in turn selfless. I offered pro and con aruguments.


Doing what makes one happy is healthy.
 
Stop Laughing said:
I think I'm getting a headache. What's wrong with doing a good deed anyways? If it makes you happy, then by all means, do it.
right...i like to do nice stuff for people...it makes me smile. is that so wrong? who gives a fig what jollies i get out of it? if it gelps someone out and makes me happy it's definitely a good thing.
 
tonksy said:
right...i like to do nice stuff for people...it makes me smile. is that so wrong? who gives a fig what jollies i get out of it? if it gelps someone out and makes me happy it's definitely a good thing.

IDLEchild said:
I am not syaing it is wrong to do selfless deeds. The whole point of the thread is the analysis of this different viewpoint: that deeds that are done with no intention of being anything selfless are in turn selfless. I offered pro and con aruguments.


Doing what makes one happy is healthy.
 
Truely selfless acts are seldom self gratifying. Quite the contrary. They often leave you feeling like a friggin idiot...
 
Squiggy said:
Truely selfless acts are seldom self gratifying. Quite the contrary. They often leave you feeling like a friggin idiot...

Ahh interesting. You raised my point of subconcious happiness.
 
IC - the first part of the arguement leans heavily on the 'fact' that everyone feels some sort of guilt and is attempting to alleviate this guilt through a good act. This isn't always the case...and is, to me, a very christian viewpoint...that is...we're all evil/sinful people and we're ttrying to fix that.

I would argue that despite this unconscious belief that we're trying to do good deeds to alleviate our own guilt, that the term 'self-less' shold only apply to our conscious actions and decisions.

If we are consciously doing a good deed in order to counterbalance some guilt, then that action cannot be called selfless, but if we do a good deed 'just for the sake of being good', and without seeking immediate or latent rewards, then that deed can indeed be called selfless.

If I see someone who's arms are full, approaching a door and I am close enough, I will open the door for them. This may very well be the first and last time that I have ever seen this person. I don't expect any recompence for opening the door. I don't even expect a "Thank you" (though that's nice and polite), nor do I expect that person to think of me 2 minutes from now. I have done a good deed, seeking neither reward from the person, nor to alleviate any guilt which I may or may not feel. I just did it.

The same goes for stopping someone from stepping in front of a moving vehicle when they're not paying attention. I have no time to consider the pro's and con's of my own guilt, nor to measure the 'goodness' of such an action. I merely act...and by acting, save a life. This is a VERY good deed...and completely unconscious...and thus...selfless.
 
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