Originally posted by uberarcanist
reply to post by Redge777
But are not all people moral only out of self-interest?
'you' is not you personally but is any person, I should have use if a person, not if you.
If you are moral to feel better about yourself, yes.
If you are moral out of fear of hell, from fear of God, yes
If you are moral out of fear of punishment, yes
If you are moral for peer or financial gain, yes
If you are moral just because it is the only thing that makes sence to do, and sometimes does not make you feel better, and does not protect you from
power, and you know that God will never abandon you, and do not really worry about what others think or give you, no.
You volunteer to help some people down and out, it does not make you feel better since now you are feeling down as you empathise with sorrow. You
gain no personal better feelings. It actually sucks to consider the suffering we may be able to help with, we then must acknowledge its existance and
our compliance in it.
You step up against a wrong, and get your hat handed to you. No gain, wife is ticked off, things just got really complicated, no gain. Yet you could
no longer do what the boss told you to do. It sucks. but you just do what you must.
Imagine a person with broken leg on side of the road, you stop to help, the whole time thinking this sucks, I had plans, just got blood on my car.
And dang it she is being really obnoxious. But your empathy, not your personal feelings pushes you forward as you drive to hospital.
If afterwards you gloat of self importance, you only need to think of all the times you 'walked on by' to know you aint that great and you move on
the next thought in your mind. Hopefully a puppy runs by, or a family is having a picknic playing baseball, something that does help self interest
and the warm fuzzy's of the good stuff.
[edit on 24-9-2007 by Redge777]