What Is The Purpose Of Helping Others?

'Almost psychotic' seems a bit understated.

It's almost impossible to imagine what life under one of those 'altruists' that built death camps and gulags would be like. You can get a kind of feel of it maybe by reading accounts of those who did live under such regimes. Anne Frank, Elie Wiesel, Solzhenitsyn, people like that.

 

You are so far still ignoring the influence of corporations and businesses. You don't see how they would ruin everything if everyone would be self centered?



That wouldn't happen because self centered is not the same as sociopathic.

 

You think McDonald's makes food out of the goodness of their hearts??

 

Bill, I think you're confusing being self absorbed with being aloof.

 

You think Ronald McDonald could do it alone?

I'm self-absorbed to some extent. I'm also a bit aloof I suppose. But still I do think humans rely entirely on other humans simply to survive. That can be in a spirit of competition or of co-operation. I prefer the second option.

 

I doubt how serious you are here. To me you're really merely playing devil's advocate. It is inevitably clear that when everyone would be self centered (as a lot already are) corporations and businesses that are profit focussed can and will ruin the environment and take advantage of people indirecty. That this is already happening is not merely a selfishness issue at all (and neither a sociopathic one). It is also apathy, lack of insight because it is happening indirectly and most people are focussed on their own lifes and not on how others are doing, or even when they do they don't care enough to massively make an impact (because hey, I already have it busy enough... and why should it be me when it is not even primarily my problem and others aren't doing anything either). The cases where that is actually done people are less self centered. Does this makes sense to you?

 

Most suicide bombers belong too strongly to a particular culture, that is, medina islam. sunni orthodoxy. They die believing they will enter paradise; "we love death more than the infidel loves life". Look at what percent of the muslim world supports suicide attacks on civilians as a legitimate form of political action. Being a martyr is the highest honor you can achieve in this life in many muslim places, including Palestine. This quotation is from an accepted Hadith and quotes the prophet Muhammad himself:

Bukhari 52:54 "I would love to be martyred in Allah's cause and then get resurrected and then get martyred, and then get resurrected again and then get martyred and then get resurrected again and then get martyred"

such "beautiful" words from the religion of peace. truly all religions are equal and islam cannot have any issue or relation to terrorism.

 

Sure, where did you look for that? Can you point me in the right direction? Hopefully they're not merely some internet statistics that claim to have interviewed the global muslim community

About Palestine: it is explainable that certain fellow palestines view others that sacrifice their lifes in order to hurt Israelis as a hero and due to their religious faith a martyr (not approving it to be clear, which should be evident but just in case). Surely you too can acknowledge that it is as much the societal conditions that give rise to these happenings and mindsets than merely them being muslims? Because really, I am curious where you get your reliable info about 'the muslim world' as a whole. No muslim I know supports suicide attacks on civililans and I am pretty sure they're not lying to me.

 

That this quote exists and similar lines can be found in the Koran doesn't say everything about the global muslim community. If you would focus more on these people instead of putting them in a certain light by focussing on certain lines of their prophet and/or from their holy book (which yes, are indeed taken too seriously and acted upon dubiously by SOME muslims) you would be pleasantly suprised.

What are you talking about Willis? In what way are they not equal?

And nobody (on this forum at least) has claimed there is no relation at all between islam and terrorism. Are you losing it? Or sorry, why did you say that exactly? I might be missing something!

 

Dying over and over just sounds kinda "meh" to me .... I wanna live forever.

 

It was probably not ment entirely literally. Mohammad was most likely aware as well that such a thing is more easily said than done

Living eternally sounds just as tiring to me. I would rather reincarnate all the time if that would be a real option. Fresh energy!

 

Whilst I agree that a certain form of Islam does encourage and support suicide bombers, there are other dimensions I think that probably motivate Palestinian suicide bombers in particular. Political and even personal. If you've seen your family killed by the Israeli state, and have no other weapons with which to strike back ........nothing left to loose.

Islam went on for a long time before the suicide bomber phenomena existed. I think the west has to accept some responsibility for having wound up this situation over a long period of time. It's just too pat to blame it all on religion.(although of course I'm not disputing that it does play a large role).

 

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Recycling actually wastes more resources than it saves.

Caring about the environment could be purely motivated by self-interest though.

 

At this point perhaps (I doubt it though, maybe it only counts for specific places or a specific kind of recycling? I know in my country cities are behind on recycling but smaller towns have better systems). Maybe because we're still in the process of figuring out how to do it as efficient as possible. But what are you saying with your statement anyway?

Suits me, as long as people care about it and act upon that. But it's not purely motivated by self-interest.

 

Didn't read this thread but I'd say there are a number of people that 'help others' to further their own agendas. Donating money, religious influence, education. Not all agendas are bad but everyone has a game even if just for 'good karma'.

I like to help just to help and in hopes of getting something in return. However small it's good to have an exchange. People don't typically do something for nothing. There's always something lacing the 'good deed'.

 

The road to heaven is rarely paved with bad ones.

 

Many people have self interest involved in helping someone else......but handing something to the homeless person on the street is in some people's nature......
I will help any animal I see in need of help......and there would be nothing I could expect back.....except feeling good that I helped something survive longer.......so it makes me happy for them.

This question depends on the motivation behind anyone doing the helping and why they are.

 

I've been an atheist for most my life. I've had moments of agnosticism. I've been told I've been helpful since I could walk. I've recently decided that I'm a mutant.

 

You could join the X-men. They always seemed quite helpful.

 

^^man or woman?