People that are truly selfless?

[washu_2004]

Angry Uhmmm

Angry Uhmmm

Olya

I am simply replying to as statement that "every selfless or good act feels good to preform."

gaia_angelleft gaia_star gaia_angelright

Angry Uhmmm

Olya

If that were true, there'd be no such thing as caregiver syndrome.

gaia_angelleft gaia_star gaia_angelright

Caregiver syndrome is a completely different issue. I'm speaking strictly of people that are "supposedly" committing selfless acts when they're actually acting out of their own self interest.

Ah, of course.

Even someone with "Caregiver syndrome" (I looked for it cover to cover in the DSM-IV for it could find no mention of it) has a degree of satisfaction at one level in the job they are doing even if they are upset at a different level. They will be drawing their sense of reward from the job in other ways, such as being paid or being seen to fulfill familial obligations.
People who are more upset than satisfied with care-giving will tend to quit unless they have obligations that prevent this.

[Riviera de la Mancha]

Duty arguments were unaddressed.

I also think that people who use enjoyment as some kind of all-counter for selflessness dont seriously analyze volunteering. While volunteering might be pleasurable in general for the person, individual acts of selflessness suck. And the joy ascribed comes only because you choose to find it pleasurable. Its not an absolute. So the question only becomes more problematic as to how they even get pleasure from it.

[The Sky Does Not Bow]

Angry Uhmmm

The Sky Does Not Bow

Angry Uhmmm

The Sky Does Not Bow

Angry Uhmmm

Now we must ask, is volunteering really so selfless of them?

Yes.

Elaborate?

Wanting to help somebody and feeling good about doing it are not mutually exclusive feelings. It's this thing just about every human being possessed, called empathy.

Being selfless is the act of disregarding ones own self for the benefit of others. Most people want to volunteer or help people because they feel good about it, they're still pursuing their own self-interest, so this is not selfless. If they did not enjoy and did not want to help people, they probably wouldn't do it. And if they did do it even though they didn't want to or they didn't enjoy it, that would be selfless.

You seem to refuse to to understand. I don't know why you're absolutely determined to view people through your odious, s**t-stained glasses but you're being kind of obnoxious. People are wired to want to help other people. If the only thing you get out of helping somebody is some good feelings, then I would call that extremely selfless.

[Colonel Cadaver]

When it comes down to it people aren't wired for helping other people. Some do it of their own free will but you never see a person invite a homeless person into their own home. Our brains are wired for survival and pleasure (which is why humans are so materialistic). No one is truly "Self-less", even the volunteers, because given a situation where they are trapped with their children with very little food, and there's a homeless man, the volunteer would choose to give the food to the children for the child's survival to pass on the genes.

People that do help other people feel obligated to do so because of their morality which is a learned behavior and is interpreted depending on the culture. Volunteers who help people get pleasure out of helping so they will help others because they are taught it's the right thing to do and it is part of their morals, but they are still doing it to get that psychological kick first and foremost. Someone who is forced into volunteering (due to a crime, etc) see it as a punishment because they are weighing themselves over the needs of other people and how it is benefiting the people being helped. (ie the volunteer work/"community service" is just a better form of punishment than going to jail or paying a fine).

[Valkyrie Of Heaven]

....so you mean like going to war so that you can protect those in your contry without a second thought about loosing your life?


...yep. sounds about right.

[Colonel Cadaver]

Valkyrie Of Heaven

....so you mean like going to war so that you can protect those in your contry without a second thought about loosing your life?


...yep. sounds about right.

That is true but again it's for self gain mentally.

It all depends on how they grow up and what their morals are. To them they feel like their doing something right by going to war to protect the country but by fighting they're also killing/hurting someone else's family and friend. (Sometimes even damaging a whole culture.)

[Yoshpet]

Selflessness does not require the destruction of one's own ego. If one relinquishes everything then they have nothing left to give. A virtuous human finds a good balance between caring for themself and being empathetic to others.

[Valkyrie Of Heaven]

Colonel Cadaver

Valkyrie Of Heaven

....so you mean like going to war so that you can protect those in your contry without a second thought about loosing your life?


...yep. sounds about right.

That is true but again it's for self gain mentally.

It all depends on how they grow up and what their morals are. To them they feel like their doing something right by going to war to protect the country but by fighting they're also killing/hurting someone else's family and friend. (Sometimes even damaging a whole culture.)

by going to war i do mean, in defense of the country. as though ....say America were invaded. like that.

[Colonel Cadaver]

Valkyrie Of Heaven

Colonel Cadaver

Valkyrie Of Heaven

....so you mean like going to war so that you can protect those in your contry without a second thought about loosing your life?


...yep. sounds about right.

That is true but again it's for self gain mentally.

It all depends on how they grow up and what their morals are. To them they feel like their doing something right by going to war to protect the country but by fighting they're also killing/hurting someone else's family and friend. (Sometimes even damaging a whole culture.)

by going to war i do mean, in defense of the country. as though ....say America were invaded. like that.

Ah okay, I see what you mean. That's a tough one since a member of the invading party may not want to participate but they're forced to (due to drafting), so by defending against the unwilling party member it would be killing an innocent man.

It's by all means heroic to defend the country from an invading party to protect your culture but no matter what side you're on there's an opposition with different beliefs and biases. (ie. Vietnam War where the Vietnamese were considered enemies although they were the ones invaded and the Vietnamese thinking the same about the invaders.)

[Valkyrie Of Heaven]

Colonel Cadaver

Valkyrie Of Heaven

Colonel Cadaver

Valkyrie Of Heaven

....so you mean like going to war so that you can protect those in your contry without a second thought about loosing your life?


...yep. sounds about right.

That is true but again it's for self gain mentally.

It all depends on how they grow up and what their morals are. To them they feel like their doing something right by going to war to protect the country but by fighting they're also killing/hurting someone else's family and friend. (Sometimes even damaging a whole culture.)

by going to war i do mean, in defense of the country. as though ....say America were invaded. like that.

Ah okay, I see what you mean. That's a tough one since a member of the invading party may not want to participate but they're forced to (due to drafting), so by defending against the unwilling party member it would be killing an innocent man.

It's by all means heroic to defend the country from an invading party to protect your culture but no matter what side you're on there's an opposition with different beliefs and biases. (ie. Vietnam War where the Vietnamese were considered enemies although they were the ones invaded and the Vietnamese thinking the same about the invaders.)

well, i mean, if someone is invading America, i would highly doubt that they are unwilling at that point. but i suppose i understand what you mean.

[Colonel Cadaver]

Valkyrie Of Heaven

well, i mean, if someone is invading America, i would highly doubt that they are unwilling at that point. but i suppose i understand what you mean.

Not all invaders are evil. Like I said it depends on whose side is attacking who and who is forced into participating and who has a choice and willingly joins.

I highly doubt 100% on invaders are evil. Like I said it depends on what the culture believes as a whole depending what side. -Insert stuff I already said-

[GothamQueen]

Volunteering takes time and time is precious. People who choose to volunteer to sincerely help other people could be doing other things with their life that would only benefit themselves. I don't see anything wrong with feeling joy in helping others. Your definition of what a 'selfless' person should be doesn't make sense.

[Angry Uhmmm]

GothamQueen

Volunteering takes time and time is precious. People who choose to volunteer to sincerely help other people could be doing other things with their life that would only benefit themselves. I don't see anything wrong with feeling joy in helping others. Your definition of what a 'selfless' person should be doesn't make sense.

There isn't anything wrong with feeling joy in helping others. I'm just pointing out that such people are not truly selfless, because they are still pursuing their own self-interest by doing what they want to do (which isn't bad).

I'm just using the dictionary definition of selfless here, so I don't see how that doesn't make sense.

[Colonel Cadaver]

Heroic
Kind
Generous

Soldiers, contributors, and other types of people are different from being selfless.

[Sneaker Pimps]

When asked this question I think about those who devote their lives to being a Monk, but even that could be scene as not entirely selfless. Selflessness is a principle I think more then an actual way to be, it's more like a guideline word to guide someone in the right direction.