And why would anyone do something good for someone else without an ulterior motive? Do you think people donate to charity because they are good or because they want to seem good? I met people IRL who acted "nice" except they were also aware they were being perceived as "nice" and explicitly called themselves "nice," wouldn't you agree this is hypocritical?

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ToucanLoucan 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

> And why would anyone do something good for someone else without an ulterior motive?

It feels nice. You should try it sometime.

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nchmy 5 days ago | parent [-]

YeAh bUt fe3lin g0od is n ulTerIor m0t!ve!! A st0!c s4g3 flz nutHing

	▲	koakuma-chan 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		I'm not going to argue that feeling good is an "ulterior" motive, but it can be a malicious one. People can convince themselves, with varying degree of consciousness, that what they are doing is good, and ignorantly feel good about doing that, whereas for other parties what the person did can be the opposite, bad.

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danenania 5 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Does it matter? If people are kind and generous for the sake of recognition, the positive effects of their actions are just as real.

Not to mention that wanting approval and recognition is not really “ulterior”. It’s a natural human desire. The people to watch out for are those who claim not to want it.

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nchmy 5 days ago | parent | prev [-]

What an absolutely tragic worldview you have... There's no doubt that there are disingenuous people (let alone complete grifters). But the fact that you can't conceive of anyone doing anything good just for the sake of it - let alone making genuine self-sacrifices, which happens ALL the time - is utterly shameful.

Moreover, if you are properly-aligned in life, whats good for others/the world is ALSO good for you. Even those who make genuine self-sacrifices would say so - at the very least, NOT having done it would be the real, unbearable, sacrifice.

I really hope you'll reflect deeply on this, and perhaps that it even haunts you - even if just out of pure self-centeredness, since the only people who you would ever have in your life with a mentality like this would necessarily be completely self-centered as well.

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koakuma-chan 5 days ago | parent [-]

I am only making conclusions based on what I see, and I comment hoping people can tell me how I am wrong. I am still trying to figure this out, but all evidence points to what I said.

People never "do good" "just for the sake of it" - there is always a reason, whether or not the person realizes it. The reason could be, e.g., as I said, the desire to seem good, some kind of religious belief, etc. Ultimately, it is never "just for the sake of it"

I am also disappointed, and I don't know what to do with this, but I am not willing to become some kind of ignorant, delusional lunatic.

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nchmy 5 days ago | parent [-]

You're a very sad, very confused person. I genuinely mean this: seek help. Or at least a hug.

	▲	imiric 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		Everyone's life experiences and the way we process them are different, which builds our understanding of the world around us in very unique ways. It's not unimaginable for someone to have a worldview as GP's. Instead of labeling or patronizing them, a bit of tact and compassion go a long way. Otherwise you're just confirming what they're predisposed to think.