Is there such a thing as a truly unselfish act?
So, we all like to think of ourselves as being unselfish – doing lots of things for other people, donating to charity, volunteering, just being nice to a stranger, but is it actually unselfish? It might seem to be because we are giving time, money, expertise, or a smile, but doesn’t it make us feel good inside? Do you not experience a warm glow when you know you helped someone who needed your help? Is it not selfish to crave the feeling of self-satisfaction at having helped someone? Is it not addictive to get that buzz inside? Should we just do these kind things and not feel pleased about it? Would we even bother if you didn’t get the payoff from feeling like you were a better person than the thousands who don’t do good deeds? Does that mean the more helpful, thoughtful and generous you are, the more selfish you are? How about people who work for a charity (note, work for, not volunteer for)? Do they not get the best of all worlds – they feel good about themselves (and feel superior to the rest of us!), they are respected by everyone, and yet earn, for the most part, the equivalent salary to a comparable job in “private” industry… Is this not having your cake and eating it, then deciding you are going to have more cake?
