the idea of getting to heaven.
And the fear that my uncle or grandfather will hear and beat the ever loving shit out of me.
And the fear that my uncle or grandfather will hear and beat the ever loving shit out of me.
Actually, its quite possible.dagens24 said:I'm going to punch everyone who said altruism right in the mouth. That's BULLSHIT; altruism is impossible. Even if you aren't doing if for the sake of feeling good about yourself, you still do. No one does something good/nice and walks again feeling like shit.
Well said. Well said indeed.KarlMonster said:Actually, its quite possible.dagens24 said:I'm going to punch everyone who said altruism right in the mouth. That's BULLSHIT; altruism is impossible. Even if you aren't doing if for the sake of feeling good about yourself, you still do. No one does something good/nice and walks again feeling like shit.
Strictly speaking, altruism is suicidal from an evolutionary standpoint. There will always be some BASTion of the community who is perfectly willing to take advantage of your willingness to be self-sacrificing. Fortunately for the nicer people of the world, human evolution has been arrested with modern medicines, law enforcement, etc etc etc.
The world at large, however, is still a very cruel place, and shit really does happen with alarming frequency. Yet, giving solace and shelter to others in their personal shit-storms, is not necessarily self-sacrificing if it costs you nothing. Why give anything at all? Acts of self-sacrifice could be explained away as 'paying it forward'; an odd social meme that suggests random acts of kindness on your part to repay kindnesses received. Yet I find that idea to be tenuous; its dangerously close to being an urban legend that may soon be entirely forgotten.
I know the 'Meaning of Life'. That is to say; I understand to my own satisfaction, what caused me to be here, why I am here, and what I am supposed to do with my life. Life is an accident brought on by raging hormones and genetic material. My consciousness is a side-effect of millions of years of evolution. My stream of consciousness is the product of my environment, my experience, and my education. My future path is to do whatever I damn well please (including lots and lots of video games).
I can't always make positive changes in the world. I have neither the resources, nor the time, nor the capabilities to fix more than a few small problems. The world is full of shit and stink and ugliness. I don't have to like it. I don't have to accept it. I don't have to be complacent about it. And every tiny little bit helps.
Edit: ...and somehow I keep getting screwed anyway.