Let's talk about gratuitous goodness. Hmmm sorry for the strange sounding term but that simply means the act of doing good for the sake of doing good itself. Read something today and I was just thinking about it for like three secs (therefore dont expect anything too long from me...)
Do you ever really do good for the sake of doing good? Like when you drop that little bit of spare change into the donation tin of the cancer soc or something like that, are you doing it out of sheer goodness from the bottom of your heart? Or are you just afraid deep down inside that one day you might need their assistance?
I'd like to be a bit more positive and say in a sheepish kiddy tone that all human beings are kind and good creatures.
But not today I'm afraid.
In the past perhaps, but not at present. (Sometimes I feel I have since started leaning towards the darker side of life but that's to do with Larkin's thoughts and will very well deserve another post.)
I'm unsure as to the real nature of mankind (and that's up to the positivists and the natural lawyers to fight it out and decide) but I am certain that man is not all good. And of course probably not all bad either. We are probably just a little confused as to what we really are like.
Well anyway, back to the topic. Therefore I do not think there is anything hypocritical or shameful or despicable about doing good and expecting something in return. The hypocrisy only lies where the doer of good is deceptive about his real intentions, which would often be to ultimately benefit himself.
However as there are always exceptions to the rule, I guess sometimes we can't be totally outright and frank about our real intentions either. Recap donation to charities scenario earlier. If the donor went up to the representative of the charity and said while dropping fify-cents into the box that I hope to be able to benefit from your charity one day, I think the rep will get a shock haha. So I guess it's up to our own discretions again.. and I still insist that that is not a good thing because we, all of species on earth, are the most confused about ourselves. But of course, there is no better way out at present so *shrugs*
The more I think about it, the sadder I feel about being born human sometimes. Haiz.
