As a libertarian, I believe that the government should have a limited role in the lives of its individual citizens. However, there are many people, even the great country of America, who are in desperate need and cannot support themselves and their families. Americans who are more fortunate, such as myself, are obligated to lend a hand to those who are struggling. Instead of paying higher taxes, contributing time and donating hard earned money to charity is the best way to assist your fellow man. As an borderline atheist, I do not believe in doing good deeds for the sake of "getting in to heaven" or for karma's sake. We should do them to improve the world around us. Top 10 Good Deeds To Do Before You Die 10) Buy a homeless man/woman a hot meal and a cup of coffee 9) Fly to New Orleans and rebuild houses destroyed by Hurricane Katrina - there is a long way to go down there...grab some beignets as a reward. 8) Take a day to clean up littering. Publicily humiliate anyone you do see littering. There is nothing more revealing than a person who litters - lazy, self-centered, thoughtless... 7) Work at a soup kitchen - people will thank you warmly for providing them with a meal 6) Thank a teacher or a police officer or a firefighter - they've dedicated their lives to the public good. 5) Send a soldier overseas a USO package - it'll remind them of home and let them know they have our support 4) Give up your seat when someone else gets on the bus, subway, or train - you can manage standing for 20 minutes 3) Plant a tree or grow a garden, and just care for the environment in general 2) Coach a Little League Team, mentor a child, or babysit for free - give kids of all backgrounds the time free from worry to enjoy their childhood 1) Stop feeling sorry for yourself - we live in the most amazing times with so much to be grateful for - please enjoy it. |
Saturday, November 3, 2007
10 Good Deeds
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As one who was raised to be an atheist (on a casual basis; we didn't do anything on an organized basis), to believe religion was a disease and Christianity a particularly virulent form of it, what do you mean by 'should'? You say we 'should' do things to help others. Why? Sez who? IOW, why do unto others what you would have them do to you? Why not do to them BEFORE they do to you? The latter course of action has throughout history often resulted in higher levels of material comfort and longevity, both for individuals and societies. If one is in a society where altruistic behavior is rewarded and 'selfish' behavior is frowned upon, it is a fairly simple thing to feign the former and do the latter covertly. Can you give any particular reason why one ought not to so behave?
Doc,
That is a very good point. I guess it proves why I am not a total atheist - I still have some regard for religious morals and values. My conscience prevents me from acting in a selfish way, and I suppose that is a remnant of the way I was brought up. A true atheist forgoes such values and morals because it is their belief that there are no consequences in acting in a purely selfish manner. I'm not trying to be condescending here, but academic about the question.
The only reason an atheist should not act in his/her own interests 100% of the time is if temporary charity and generosity can further their own happiness at a later point. However, you could argue that such thinking is similar to those of religious people - they do good deeds because they believe in a later supernatural reward. So, does anyone actually do good deeds just for the sake of it? And if they do, why? I can't answer these questions, but I do feel that it's a wise move to act this way, just in case God or karma does exist...
jw
I appreciate your response. I must ask you though: your original post was much more emphatic and prescriptive in calling for the 10 good deeds etc. Now you're saying that you're essentially doing them for 2 reasons: they make you feel good (they soothe one's 'conscience', which presumably you would say is some leftover instinct from when we were herd animals on the Serengeti), and as a hedge just in case there's some kind of afterlife that involves moral judgement. These motivations seem awfully weak foundations for moral calls to action. Imagine Wilberforce thundering in Parliament: 'My Lords, we must end this evil slave trade, because it makes me feel bad because I have evolved to have altruistic tendencies, even though these tendencies aren't true moral impulses, they're just my genes fooling me into thinking they're moral impulses. Also, just in case there's some kind of Judge of human beings it would be safe for us to do so.' Tough for a civilization (or a person) to make any moral progress without a stronger motivation than those, I would think.
Doc,
Another good point. I would say that those two reasons were more for my own personal motivation on an individual level. On an ideological level, as in a set of values and ambitions that acts as the glue that holds a larger population together, it is more difficult.
It seems that in the most successful societies throughout history, the citizens were able to agree on the definitions of right vs. wrong. For a civilization to achieve greatness, its citizens must not only agree, but also actively work towards implementing their values in the world.
Now I have my own set of values and morals, which is derived from growing up in a Western/somewhat Christian household. To bring up my values in opposition to those of another civilization is difficult on philosophical grounds (what is right? what is wrong?) but this does not mean I would not do so.
I hope this makes sense. In short, I believe it is very difficult to bring a large group of people together with one ideology. I think that improvement in a society starts at the individual level with individual good deeds.
Thanks again for your comments, I appreciate them, and I hope you enjoy my blog and share it with your peers.
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