A Selfish Argument for Making the World a Better Place – Egoistic Altruism

[jardiniere]

Put here because this short (7:14) animation shows why what has happened in the past is not a good enough template for the future of humanity. So, right vs wrong, ethics and morality.

I post this because I agree with the animation. I have for many years thought that by working to bring everyone up to the same economic speed as, say, the US economy, would be beneficial to far more people in the world than how we currently operate.

 

[Halbhh]

Do for others as you would want them to do for you?

 

[jardiniere]

It's a good phrase. If it's not the case that we are sharing a dwindling slice of a finite pie, then, in order to accelerate progress, we need to switch our priorities to helping out others. That will increase our share (and their share) of a growing pie.

 

[Halbhh]

It's a good phrase. If it's not the case that we are sharing a dwindling slice of a finite pie, then, in order to accelerate progress, we need to switch our priorities to helping out others. That will increase our share (and their share) of a growing pie.

Yes, I very much agree we should aid others in needs, first with education and nutrition especially. Crucially.

Let me offer you more quotes than just that one above:

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
.
Psalm 82:3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.


Matthew 7:12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.


Would you like even more than this little taste?

 

[jardiniere]

No, thanks. I've read the bible. To the best I can do, I've taken the best parts and discarded the bad parts.

 

[Drifter Kybe Scythe Kane]

one day, i hope people just share. sharing is good. advanced ways jesus wants us to be like i think.

 

[Halbhh]

No, thanks. I've read the bible. To the best I can do, I've taken the best parts and discarded the bad parts.

Ok! I'm thinking (if like me at back in my 20s, 30s) you mean you've taken the wonderfully good things like:

"Love your neighbor as yourself"

as a good idea.

Jesus said this is the good way for humans interacting with each other. The center of all good ways/rules/laws, in essence.

If so, you are already pretty much aligned with what is the way of Christianity as Jesus taught it for relations between people. Please feel free to ask me more about more that he said as you wish.

 

[jardiniere]

I was raised Presbyterian. I'm no longer capable of believing in a Judeo-Christian-Islamic god concept. But that doesn't stop the bible from still being relevant today. Religion is good for some things, and if it can help people develop social mores that benefit themselves, that's for the best, IMO.

 

[Drifter Kybe Scythe Kane]

Ok! I'm thinking (if like me at back in my 20s, 30s) you mean you've taken the wonderfully good things like:

"Love your neighbor as yourself"

as a good idea.

Jesus said this is the good way for humans interacting with each other. The center of all good ways/rules/laws, in essence.

If so, you are already pretty much aligned with what is the way of Christianity as Jesus taught it for relations between people. Please feel free to ask me more about more that he said as you wish.

yea, i don't see why not. what would one have against his neighbors anyways?

 

[Halbhh]

I was raised Presbyterian. I'm no longer capable of believing in a Judeo-Christian-Islamic god concept. But that doesn't stop the bible from still being relevant today. Religion is good for some things, and if it can help people develop social mores that benefit themselves, that's for the best, IMO.

Indeed. I was just adding a bit more above to my last post, that He also has pinpointed how to deal with conflicts, which is a very big deal, because no matter what we do in life, there will be conflicts. So, his wisdom is not just a couple of things, but far reaching into any situation we encounter, you can find, by testing. I mean the hardest situations I've encountered in more than 5 decades, it turned out the only good fix was it would turn out what He said to do. Example: marriages always have conflict, but if we do what He said to do (forgive, and love anyway, and more (some things needing aid from above, which amazingly comes through...trust, reliably)), then our marriages actually become good, even if they weren't before! That's just really amazing. Like far better than imaginable until you ended up finding out first hand.

 

[Drifter Kybe Scythe Kane]

I was raised Presbyterian. I'm no longer capable of believing in a Judeo-Christian-Islamic god concept. But that doesn't stop the bible from still being relevant today. Religion is good for some things, and if it can help people develop social mores that benefit themselves, that's for the best, IMO.

well, it brings people together and you're right...there are some good things in it but not all of it. it has it's ups and downs. i'm a nitpicker though.

 

[Halbhh]

yea, i don't see why not. what would one have against his neighbors anyways?

Some neighbors are quite easy to love indeed. And sometimes with some (who we encounter here and there), it's different than that. At first, or at some point. (or continuing, depending on what we do then)

 

[Dave-W]

Doing anything from self centered motives is sinful.

 

[Drifter Kybe Scythe Kane]

Some neighbors are quite easy to love indeed. And sometimes with some (who we encounter here and there), it's different than that. At first, or at some point. (or continuing, depending on what we do then)

We need to learn how to share this world, I think Jesus would label all this...

 

[Halbhh]

We need to learn how to share this world, I think Jesus would label all this...

My observation is that's its truly easy to do the golden rule....

...until someone insults or harms you...

... and then it's hard,

...unless i look to Christ, then it's easy again.

See, we don't know until the moment of true challenge.

As Christ said, most can love those who love them (Matthew chapter 5), but we all called to do more than only love those who love us.

 

[Drifter Kybe Scythe Kane]

My observation is that's its truly easy to do the golden rule....

...until someone insults or harms you...

... and then it's hard,

...unless i look to Christ, then it's easy again.

See, we don't know until the moment of true challenge.

As Christ said, most can love those who love them (Matthew chapter 5), but we all called to do more than only love those who love us.

Oh, well I mean that it will come in time when people share. We're not that advanced yet but I believe in time we will be self disciplined enough to not only share this world with no usage of money for instance but also no longer use violence either. I'm still that way in terms of this generation but in time...or at least I hope we will be the same and fully adopt Jesus' ways in time way past our lifetimes in generations to come.

 

[DogmaHunter]

Do for others as you would want them to do for you?

That works, unless you are a sadistic, masochostic sociopath/psychopath.

 

[DogmaHunter]

Ok! I'm thinking (if like me at back in my 20s, 30s) you mean you've taken the wonderfully good things like:

"Love your neighbor as yourself"

as a good idea.

I don't think that's a good idea, when stated in such an absolute.
Some neighbours don't deserve my love.

If so, you are already pretty much aligned with what is the way of Christianity as Jesus taught it for relations between people.

It's not "christianity's way", since christianity isn't at all required to come up with such ideas, nore did these ideas originate with or from christianity.

 

[DogmaHunter]

I was raised Presbyterian. I'm no longer capable of believing in a Judeo-Christian-Islamic god concept. But that doesn't stop the bible from still being relevant today. Religion is good for some things, and if it can help people develop social mores that benefit themselves, that's for the best, IMO.

At least, as long as the benefits (for all - not just themselves) outweigh the harm.
And I'm not so sure that that is the case in general. Quite the opposite.

Religion seems to do far more harm then good. Especially considering that for all the good it does or motivates, religion isn't even required.

As the saying goes:
Good people will do good things, wicked people will do wicked things.
But for good people to do wicked things... that requires religion.

 

[DogmaHunter]

yea, i don't see why not. what would one have against his neighbors anyways?

Well, my neighbour is a social degenerate who's front lawn is always a mess, who disturbs the peace and quite with loud music, who starts drilling in walls late at night, who has the kind of "friends" that came and set his car on fire on this driveway in the middle of the night (almost killing us - if the fire would have raged for another 10min before being discovered, it would have set the house on fire and we would have been trapped upstairs with no way out) and we are pretty sure that he's into fishy business with drugdealers.

I have lots of reasons to hate that guy. "love him" is the last thing I'll do.
Moving to another house, is one of the first things I'll do the second our budget allows it.

And after moving, I'll still hate the guy.