What is the intent in each case? I perform one act today with selfish intent that happens to help someone, but what about tomorrow? Or the next day? Am I improving on the act to see if I can help more people tomorrow? Not with selfish intent I’m not.
Today I tried with good intention to help someone. It doesn’t work. But, my true intent is to help- so I learn from my mistake today because I genuinely care, and tomorrow I now help one person with my act. I continue to improve and grow as a person, and over the next few years, I am helping out many others and bringing joy into the lives of those around me, inspiring others to also live their lives with good intention, creating a ripple effect.
I believe that is much more important than any kind of selfish intent, no matter how much the selfish act happened to help today.
Intent matters but it’s not more important than the act itself.
Person A does a helpful act today for selfish reasons. Person B wants to help people but wants to make sure they are helping in the right way, so they don’t do anything today while they try to figure out the best way to do it. Tomorrow they both get hit by a bus.
What’s more important? That Person B had good intentions, or that Person A actually fucking helped someone?
Long term growth vs short term gain. Person B reflects and realizes they spent the day trying to be perfect, since they have good intention, and thus will reflect on their actions in an effort to improve. Next day they stop trying to be perfect and instead act.
Of course, both getting hit by a bus tomorrow makes my argument null, since it’s predicated on long term growth over short term gain. But most people aren’t getting hit by a bus tomorrow.
Person B reflects and realizes they spent the day trying to be perfect, since they have good intention, and thus will reflect on their actions in an effort to improve.
Do they? You invented a lot there about someone you don’t know.
Person B continues to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. They keep getting overwhelmed by options and never end up helping anybody.
Person A helped in order to get recognition at work. It worked and helped give that extra push that got them promoted. They continue to do this on a yearly basis despite not liking it because it makes them look good to their employer.
It can go either way, someone helping for selfish reasons might be the start of them helping for genuine reasons or might be the last time they help at all. You can’t know. I’ll still gladly take someone helping for selfish reasons than them not helping at all.
Would it be better if they had good intentions? Of course! But it would also be worse if they didn’t act at all.
I would rather you do one act today that helps people for completely selfish reasons and never again, than have you do zero acts that help people.
What is the intent in each case? I perform one act today with selfish intent that happens to help someone, but what about tomorrow? Or the next day? Am I improving on the act to see if I can help more people tomorrow? Not with selfish intent I’m not.
Today I tried with good intention to help someone. It doesn’t work. But, my true intent is to help- so I learn from my mistake today because I genuinely care, and tomorrow I now help one person with my act. I continue to improve and grow as a person, and over the next few years, I am helping out many others and bringing joy into the lives of those around me, inspiring others to also live their lives with good intention, creating a ripple effect.
I believe that is much more important than any kind of selfish intent, no matter how much the selfish act happened to help today.
Intent matters but it’s not more important than the act itself.
Person A does a helpful act today for selfish reasons. Person B wants to help people but wants to make sure they are helping in the right way, so they don’t do anything today while they try to figure out the best way to do it. Tomorrow they both get hit by a bus.
What’s more important? That Person B had good intentions, or that Person A actually fucking helped someone?
Long term growth vs short term gain. Person B reflects and realizes they spent the day trying to be perfect, since they have good intention, and thus will reflect on their actions in an effort to improve. Next day they stop trying to be perfect and instead act.
Of course, both getting hit by a bus tomorrow makes my argument null, since it’s predicated on long term growth over short term gain. But most people aren’t getting hit by a bus tomorrow.
Do they? You invented a lot there about someone you don’t know.
Person B continues to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. They keep getting overwhelmed by options and never end up helping anybody.
Person A helped in order to get recognition at work. It worked and helped give that extra push that got them promoted. They continue to do this on a yearly basis despite not liking it because it makes them look good to their employer.
It can go either way, someone helping for selfish reasons might be the start of them helping for genuine reasons or might be the last time they help at all. You can’t know. I’ll still gladly take someone helping for selfish reasons than them not helping at all.
Would it be better if they had good intentions? Of course! But it would also be worse if they didn’t act at all.