Nocturnal Nick

I was once asked if I believed in such a thing as a selfless act. I responded that I didn’t, though only on a sub-conscious level.

An example of what most would consider to be a completely selfless act is to give to charity. Putting aside any possible financial benefits (tax deductions etc), one wouldn’t give anything to charity if helping others didn’t make them feel good. If someone was indifferent about the recipient of the donation’s wellbeing, the donation wouldn’t be made in the first place. It follows then that as your donation increases the wellbeing of the recipient, you feel good. Following the logic train it can be said that donating to charity makes you feel good, and that is why you do it.

Then comes the topic of accidents. Of course, if you drop a $20 note as you’re walking along, you don’t feel good about it nor receive any kind of physical benefit. To this I respond that the term selflessness has everything to do with intent, and nothing to do with the actual result or consequence. In this case, you didn’t INTEND to drop a $20 note, or indeed do anything, and so it cannot really be called an act of selfishness or the opposite.

It can then be said that something you regret doing, a mistake, was still done with the intent of benefiting oneself. The fact that it didn’t succeed matters not, as you INTENDED it to. Nuances of this “rule” extend also to situations in which you try and succeed regardless of the expectation or odds.

For example, if there is a 1 in 6 chance of me correctly chosing the side of a dice that turns up, I’ll still attempt the guess, as the cost to me may be smaller enough than the potential winnings to take the risk. Whether consciously or not, you have weighed the pro’s and con’s and come to a decision.

So, thoughts? Examples of a completely selfless act?