You've heard it said, "It is better to give than to receive", and have been told that for true peace and happiness we should think of others first. I'm not here to disagree with this philosophy. In fact, I think it's true. Thinking of others does make us feel pretty darn good and makes this world a better place to live in. Now, I know I'm not the first to think this up, neither will I be the last, but is there truly such a thing as a selfless act? Some of us have the ability to put others first more than others, but does that make the “least selfish” persons motives selfless?
There are different motivating factors behind why we do the things we do. Some are motivated by obligation, by love, or by personal gain, but does it matter the motivation or intent? Is it not still for selfish reasons? Before, you jump all over me, let me explain myself, hopefully a little better.
We’ve been taught morally that it’s not right to think of ourselves, that we should put the needs of others first, doing it without praise or reward. But in the same breath, if you were raised in a Christian home, like I was, our selfish nature is still appeased by the thought of an ultimate reward from God. We were taught we should not do it for those reasons, but in the back of our minds we knew our martyrdom wouldn’t be for not. Also, we were taught that loving others reaps rewards for everyone, thus giving us fuzzy feelings of having done the right thing. I would say that’s fairly selfish.
You may say, but what about the selfless act of a mother dying in place of her child, or an officer jumping on a grenade to save his platoon from certain death? Very noble and an act that most of us would not be willing to do. I politely and respectfully say, (keeping in mind that these types of acts should be honored and no slander to anyone who has sacrificed their lives for others are intended) I don’t think it is entirely selfless. Depending on your definition of selfish. Is it selfish to do something to fulfill a personal desire or ideal? To be able to live with ourselves knowing we did the right thing? I may be stretching it a bit here, I realize. I’m not saying there’s any evil intent involved in these types of acts or a desire of praise, just that maybe we are unable to separate ourselves from the motives of our actions, it always relates back to a selfish desire to fulfilling the needs of obligation or devotion.
I don’t have an ultimate answer here, just the willingness to throw the thought around and see where it lands. What are your thoughts on the matter?
