People Suck

Bgurltryal

Do people in their existance create much more greif inadvertantly that they cause happiness with purpose? An action that can seem so small to one person or a desision made with selfish intent can have effects without the action taker or desicion maker even considering or realising it. Selfishness or self absorbation; We focus so much on US that the reprocusions of every little thing we do become inconsequential as long as we or those we care about are 'safe'.

When I was little in the car I would make up stories about people we drove past based on that split second they passed through my life. They affected my exhistance without ever knowing it. What if I passed through someones life and caused something negative?

Maybe I'm much less of a 'good person' than i realise.

Just thoughts going through my head after some crap going on here. I'm sure BboyNeko will let you know about it.

Cygnus

I think you worry too much. Nobody has direct control of your life and you aren't controlling anyone else's. The extent of your influence on another person is subject to that person's allowance of said influence, and vice versa. (COMF taught me that)

A "good person" is one that recognizes that the most important person in his/her life is him/herself.

Bgurltryal

A "good person" is one that recognizes that the most important person in his/her life is him/herself.

So as long as what you do benefits you it doesn't matter who you hurt along the way? That doesn't sound like a 'good' person to me.

My reason for writing this whole thing is someone did something out of their own personal issues that has put us in a less than desirable place and I'm angry about it so, being me, I am trying to see it from the offenders point of view. Most of the 'bad' i see exists within me too and if I'm able to recognise it then maybe i can remember what it's like to feel like this and prevent myself from creating this pain in someone else.

larc

I was just now busy on a computer search and came back to this thread. If you want to read about some good people, do a computer search on Louis Bromfield and Johnny Appleseed. It probably won't make you feel any better because these are distant figures, but then again it might. Only recommending this because I just looked at it.

Cygnus

It sounds to me that a certain party caused a problem between him/her and you/bboy for 'selfish' reasons. So you might be on the right track in attempting to recognize why this party did what he/she felt necessary.

Just remember that every individual must live with one and only one person for 100% of the time -- him or herself. In that respect selfishness really is a virtue. What people do with this recognition is based upon their own personal ethics. I for one despise lying, cheating, and stealing. So I do not lie, cheat, or steal because if I did those things, I would not be comfortable with myself, just as I am not comfortable being in the company of those who practice such things. That is what I meant by saying that a "good person" is ultimately responsible to him/herself first and foremost.

Bgurltryal

But if people are so selfish that they don't even think of the consequences of their actions on others then they learn nothing nor have a harder time living with themselvs. Or they do realise the consequences but since they aren't directly affected or this evil was a lesser evil to them than an alternative, they don't feel badly about their desision or rather don't beleive it to be a bad desision as long as they're O.K. erggggh...it just angers me alot that ultimately people are selfish creatures.

Undecided

Hi Cygnus,

I think you have a point here. When you help someone it usually makes you feel better about yourself, if it didn't you probably wouldn't volunteer to help. We usually don't like self condemnation.

This week I helped two strangers, one I helped to start his truck at Lowes parking lot, I saw his hood up and heard his battery was low, so I went back to my truck and drove to where he was and used my cables to kick-start his truck. He didn't ask, I didn't know him, I just felt good being able to help. So I did it because it made me feel good to help.

I picked up a stranger and gave him a ride. I don't do this usually, but I felt like it when I saw his face. It gave me pleasure to help him out. I didn't help because I thought God required me to do it. I did it because I wanted to and I enjoyed it. So I think your view may be right on.

Ken P.

safe4kids

Hey Bgurl...sorry to hear of your trouble and i hope all goes well with you and bboy.

I agree with what Cygnus said...I didn't take it to mean a total disregard for other people, but more of a self-care concept. If I don't take care of me, then how can I really help anyone else? For instance, you know how on an airplane they instruct you about what to do if the oxygen masks come down? They always say to put yours on first BEFORE you put one on someone who needs help. The reason being is that if you are deprived of what you need, you aren't going to be of any use to another. So, selfishness in that way isn't a bad thing, but is actually quite healthy.

Just my 2cents,

Dana

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end...
Closing Time, Semisonic

Unclepenn1

The Bible calls it *sin*. Sometimes it takes a while for people to catch on to this problem we have. I commend you on your observations :)

Penn

Mohammed- 'My teachings lead to the attainment of truth'
Buddha- 'The truth has been revealed to me'
Jesus- 'I am the truth'

bboyneko

hehe if you guys knew what happened you probably would rethink your view of selfishness as healthy. Selfishness in itself is not bad, I agree. Babies are the most selfish creatures on earth. Why? Thay have to be. Its a survival trait.

But in your life, you have to make descisions that dont concern life or death. You might take a petty vengeance on someone, that causes barely any harm to the person you intended to render the vengeance upon. However, your action causes several people unrelated to your action to die. Is this selfisheness still healthy? As self-aware beings we have a responsibility to others that the selfish actions we take do not cause calamitous harm on innocent people.

-Dan

People Suck

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