when did you last completely give of yourself, wishing nothing in return?

i've come across very few people who are able to do this... out of insecurity, fear, selfishness...or whatever reason

a certain amount of subservience and humility can be quite liberating

There are small acts of selflessness...so small, I can't remember at this time. That's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. You can be selfless and not realize that it was nothing out of the ordinary that you did.

Tina (~!~)

Someone once told me that you should never tell someone you did something good for another person.You should just do it and soon it will be a regular thing and the world would end up being a better place.It makes a whole lotta sense to be selfless.

MinneapolisFunk said:

It's biblical as well. Small acts of kindness are between you and the person who received the kindness. If you brag about it, it cancels itself out.

Tina (~!~)

Almost never...I only help those I feel some love or sympathy or kinship for, at which point I'm doing something for someone because I care, not just because "it's for someone else, not me."

teller said:

I gave $20 to a homeless person recently- all the cash I had. Does that count?

Moonbeam said:

Not anymore! You told us

Tina (~!~)

I help people, including strangers, all the time... but it isn't really selfless... I enjoy helping people! So I'm actually a selfish bastard.

ian said:

Same here. This is a difficult question to answer!

It's not a question of whether you enjoy it or not; as if it were only moral if you didn't enjoy it! LOL...think about that! Bubble baths are immoral, rubbing a cheese-grater across your tongue is moral...no, no, no...

Enjoy giving--the enjoyment doesn't change the goodness of the deed!

Now if it's simply giving just to be selfless, as if anything non-self is better than self--this annoys me. Why are others more deserving than you? It's all a question of doing good, not for whom the good is done and not how much pleasure or displeasure it gives you. The whole self=bad, others=good is the basis of communism.

Often.

teller said:

i guess i meant really getting out of your comfort zone. but point taken

your posts often make me smile... i never dreamt anyone could bring up communism when i posted this thread

MrBliss said:

Hey man that's what I'm here for!

The last time I truly, selflessly helped sum1 was when I helped my 5 yr old cousin wrap up a birthday present she was giving 2 me...

Ok I saw what the present was but I didnt care as my heart was full of joy.

[This message was edited Mon Mar 3 7:28:12 PST 2003 by SexLovely]

This was a Seinfeld episode right? Something about it's impossible to perform a truly selfless act. I think the premise was that if you receive any satisfaction out of the act then it can't be truly selfless.

Universaluv said:

I've not seen the episode, but I think it is a point well made.

It seems to me that almost all acts are selfish in some way, in that they are usually at least partly motivated to satisfy the self. For example, giving to a charity (even anonymously) may be partly driven by selfish motive - perhaps to the degree that the individual seeks to assuage their own conscience.

That doesn't necessarily deny the essential goodness of such an act, nor does it mean the selfishness of the act is necessarily wrong. It just means the act is to some degree motivated by a selfish need.

Universaluv said:

And a "Friends" episode... I think... if memory serves.

hides from Moonbeam for even mentioning the show "Friends" ... Sin of all sins

MrBliss said:

why, i touched myself very selflessly, gently and *just right* only this morning. i gave of myself completely, wishing nothing in return and it felt great! does this count?

XxAxX said:

it counts in my book! :LOL:

what can i say? i guess i woke up in a good mood today

ian said:

LOL!!!

SexLovely said:

it's a near all-the-time occurrence 4 me, i guess...