What's In It For Me?
"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."
"What goes around, comes around."
Too many people think only of helping themselves. Any thought of others is in the form of what can be gotten from them, either in goods or in favor, but the old cliches are not completely wrong. Think about this; would you rather live in a slum or a nice neighborhood, assuming that your personal house was the same either way. The same house, although nothing special in a good neighborhood, would be much more pleasant to come home to than the same house being the local "mansion" on the garbage-filled street of an urbane war-zone.
Picking up a single piece of trash from the parking lot on your way into the store may not be your job, but the walk back to the car will be a tiny amount more pleasant because of it, and it certainly won't make your fellow shoppers in a worse mood than they are already in. Perhaps those who walk in after you will be that 1% less grumpy. Is the effort worth it? Maybe not, but just maybe it is.
The most introverted among us still touch the world around us at some point. Personal attitude, choosing to see mud or stars does make a difference, but so does how you personally affect and reflect the world around you. The most altruistic act gives a return of some kind. It is a divine selfishness that allows one to do good and recognize that it is good also for oneself.
As to if the effort is worth the return, that is a personal decision to make, but giving selflessly does have its own returns. I think that living in a world more pleasant than it otherwise would be might occasionally be worth the effort.
"What goes around, comes around."
Too many people think only of helping themselves. Any thought of others is in the form of what can be gotten from them, either in goods or in favor, but the old cliches are not completely wrong. Think about this; would you rather live in a slum or a nice neighborhood, assuming that your personal house was the same either way. The same house, although nothing special in a good neighborhood, would be much more pleasant to come home to than the same house being the local "mansion" on the garbage-filled street of an urbane war-zone.
Picking up a single piece of trash from the parking lot on your way into the store may not be your job, but the walk back to the car will be a tiny amount more pleasant because of it, and it certainly won't make your fellow shoppers in a worse mood than they are already in. Perhaps those who walk in after you will be that 1% less grumpy. Is the effort worth it? Maybe not, but just maybe it is.
The most introverted among us still touch the world around us at some point. Personal attitude, choosing to see mud or stars does make a difference, but so does how you personally affect and reflect the world around you. The most altruistic act gives a return of some kind. It is a divine selfishness that allows one to do good and recognize that it is good also for oneself.
As to if the effort is worth the return, that is a personal decision to make, but giving selflessly does have its own returns. I think that living in a world more pleasant than it otherwise would be might occasionally be worth the effort.