.104 - the selfless act.

[krickets]

I was having this strangely philosophical conversation with slybrunette last night, and I brought up the topic of "selfess acts". I've had this conversation with many a'friend in the past, and the answer they give me is pretty much universally the same.

No, there is no such thing as a truly selfless act.

This baffles me because I tend to believe the opposite. That selfless acts do exist. I know it's my [annoying] optimism and my wish to see the good in people that causes me to believe in the selfless act, but of all the conversations I've had about this, I can't remember one person ever coming to that same conclusion.

So what do you think, flist?
[Feel free to link others to the poll, I'm quite curious!]

[Poll #1570039]

I'd love to hear your explanations in the comments!

Comments

[liliaeth]

It depends on your definition of a selfless act.

Because when it comes down to it, we always gain something out of doing the right thing, even if it's only the good feeling you get inside that you've done something good; or the enjoyment of helping others.

[crickets.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that you always gain something. What if you do something that you know will get you into trouble, or hurt you in the long run, but you still do it because it's the right thing to do. Is it not selfless to sacrifice yourself [in any number of ways] in order to do what you feel is the right thing?

I guess you would get one thing from that. Peace of mind. That is, if you're absolutely sure what you're doing is indeed the "right thing" - but what if you're just guessing? There may be no peace of mind in that instance.