Can giving to charity be selfish? Here is the question I have: Am I volunteering and giving money to charity to help others or is it to help myself? I try to volunteer with charitable groups as often as I can find the time and have recently increased my financial contributions to charity as well. It makes me feel good and I always learn or have some life-lesson reinforced by doing so. And that leads to the question...Is it possible that I am volunteering for the feeling it gives me rather than the ideal of helping society? Is it selfish? Maybe the intention doesn't matter in this case.
I had an idea for a short screenplay where the main character was a woman that was devoting her life to charity. Then one day some miserable bastard who felt she was "trying to show everyone up" told her that she wasn't doing it with pure intentions. He told her she was doing it for her. The woman goes home and obsesses over the possible truth of this statement and ends up on a downward spiral culminating in her death.
Yes, it's depressing, but I think it brings up an interesting conversation - do intentions ever matter?
I know no one is reading my blog yet (and I'm too scared to let my friends see some of my more intimate thoughts - see post 1) but I would love to hear what others think about this. So don't be shy - post a comment!
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5 comments:
I think would be great if all of selfish feelings ended up helping people in some how.
Tell everyone about your blog, it is very enjoyable reading it!
xoxoxoox
I'm not telling very many people about the blog right now. I'm kind of shy about people who know me reading this. I want people to read this and comment but I'd rather people who don't know me. You understand?
Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
I do understand and I'm very very grateful that you told me about even that I know you :) I just don't know what make me special (or not) for you to let me know about it :)
There is a lot of interesting people writing blogs and you can find them through the search blog, on top of your screem...
love you
xoxoxoxox
Here is a quote that I read recently that reminded me of you:
"Grace is free, indeed, but we must respond to it and we are free to do that, or not to do it."
Knowing you, I truly believe that you choose to respond to a gift that was given to you. If you don't use the gifts that you were given, everyone suffers...Giving makes people feel good, that is natural, but when someone benefits from something that you do...that is "the why" to your intentions.
I'm interested in why that quote would remind you of me? Thank you for sharing it. I think I need to write a post about fate or free will because I'm still not exactly sure where I stand on that and I think it could play into your comment above.
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