The right thing

[allhart]

The right thing.
Do you only do the right thing when it benifits you or will you do the right thing for the good.For the good of the people. 2 Timothy 3

 

[quatona]

The right thing.
Do you only do the right thing when it benifits you or will you do the right thing for the good.For the good of the people.

I fail to experience there to be such a conflict.
Give me an example.

 

[ImaginaryVoyager]

I've done the right thing to benefit others to my detriment, but I've also put myself first at times even when it hurt others.

 

[Forest]

I try to do the right thing, because it's the right thing to do.

 

[tapero]

The right thing.
Do you only do the right thing when it benifits you or will you do the right thing for the good.For the good of the people. 2 Timothy 3

Doing the right thing when it benefits me, would also mean that it could/might/would maybe benefit others.

We need to have good boundaries, and another may not think it's a right thing, but if it is a right thing and by chance benefits me then I've done the right thing for me and all.

Doing the right thing in all cases benefits all.

If we're speaking that the right thing may not be the right thing that's a different scenario. imo

 

[HumanisticJones]

I generally do the right thing because I can picture myself on the other side of the situation, knowing that I would want the right thing done in that instance. To me the best moral code is one where you would not mind ending up on either side of the coin.

 

[MoonlessNight]

If doing the right thing really does make one a better person, then there is always a benefit. Now I know you didn't pose it that way, but I find a problem with a lot of the "do you do this for yourself or for others" is that good generally doesn't rely on sacrifice. If you end up dead helping someone when you could just have easily remained alive and help them, it doesn't make your action better. I guess you could say that good depends on what you give and not what you give up.

If you buy into virtue theory then good actions will strengthen virtues and make a better person. So theoretically one could do good only to better themselves. But since things like empathy are also virtures, eventually doing good and helping yourself become more or less the same thing. So it's not productive to draw a distinction.

Morality isn't a zero-sum game.