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Selfless-Service- is a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it. "Selfless Service" is one of the US Army's Seven Core Values. Selfless-having little concern for one's own interests. I am very sure that each and everyone of us here have this common Core Value.
I would really enjoy hearing stories by the senior members here at CD of actions or a kind act of yourself by helping out friends, citizens and others in a time of need, I am so tired of hearing about the troubles of day, I feel we can all use a little dose of kindness, Respect, Selfless-Service, Integrity or something as simple like doing the lawn for someone who could not, or maybe on your job like a Fireman, EMT or Police Officers or Boy /Girl Scouts. or maybe even old timers volunteering helping someone.
I'll go first, I put together a crew of Volunteers during the middle of the Wars, 2005-2009 doing the lawns of Troopers (Soldiers) who we're deployed and on rotation, we did the lawns as a kind act by helping out some of the families. I also saw some of the most amazing kind acts helping out the families during this time. Just yesterday, I saw a woman reading a beautiful story to the local library class, very nice.
A friend of mine had guests coming and was in pain and couldn't clean up around the house. So I did it for him. But it made me feel good to do that for him. Does that then count as a self less service? Or does it only count when you don't enjoy doing a good deed, when it brings you no joy?
I got something out of it - good feelings, a sense of usefulness and a sense of accomplishment. Plus, I had a desire to do it (which is unusual for me). But having a desire made it easy for me to do, rather than having to push myself and be "suffering" through it. Does it count as selfless? Or only when you don't want to do something?
A friend of mine had guests coming and was in pain and couldn't clean up around the house. So I did it for him. But it made me feel good to do that for him. Does that then count as a self less service? Or does it only count when you don't enjoy doing a good deed, when it brings you no joy?
I got something out of it - good feelings, a sense of usefulness and a sense of accomplishment. Plus, I had a desire to do it (which is unusual for me). But having a desire made it easy for me to do, rather than having to push myself and be "suffering" through it. Does it count as selfless? Or only when you don't want to do something?
Keep going with that thought and you may find that if you do what you don't want to do, it could only be because you think or know it's the right thing to do so you'd still get satisfaction for doing the right thing.
It may even give yourself more 'Brownie Points" since you had to go the extra mile to do it. It would be easier if you wanted to do it in the first place
A friend of mine had guests coming and was in pain and couldn't clean up around the house. So I did it for him. But it made me feel good to do that for him. Does that then count as a self less service? Or does it only count when you don't enjoy doing a good deed, when it brings you no joy?
I got something out of it - good feelings, a sense of usefulness and a sense of accomplishment. Plus, I had a desire to do it (which is unusual for me). But having a desire made it easy for me to do, rather than having to push myself and be "suffering" through it. Does it count as selfless? Or only when you don't want to do something?
Hi LoveWisdom,
I think it does, doing a kind act for "others" of any kind other then just for yourself for any reasons without looking for a reward, works.
Recently , I assisted a younger man in pushing a minivan a block to the gas station. He was in the left lane , at the time I thought he was just going to get it out of traffic. Then he states he didn't have a container , and needed to get it to the station. It seemed like an hour , especially when ascending the incline to the pump. Given the way last year transpired for me as opposed to the preceding 14 , I didn't mind paying it forward. However , I advised him to get a fuel container in lieu of the future.
Selfless-Service- is a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it. "Selfless Service" is one of the US Army's Seven Core Values. Selfless-having little concern for one's own interests. I am very sure that each and everyone of us here have this common Core Value.
I would really enjoy hearing stories by the senior members here at CD of actions or a kind act of yourself by helping out friends, citizens and others in a time of need, I am so tired of hearing about the troubles of day, I feel we can all use a little dose of kindness, Respect, Selfless-Service, Integrity or something as simple like doing the lawn for someone who could not, or maybe on your job like a Fireman, EMT or Police Officers or Boy /Girl Scouts. or maybe even old timers volunteering helping someone.
I'll go first, I put together a crew of Volunteers during the middle of the Wars, 2005-2009 doing the lawns of Troopers (Soldiers) who we're deployed and on rotation, we did the lawns as a kind act by helping out some of the families. I also saw some of the most amazing kind acts helping out the families during this time. Just yesterday, I saw a woman reading a beautiful story to the local library class, very nice.
Happy New Year 2015 to all.
knight
There is no such thing.. If a person ever did something that was selfless, it would be insane.
People always have selfish reasons for what they do. Sometimes it is because they think it makes them better people, sometimes it is because they think they are making a better world to live in, sometimes they think there is some reward in the afterlife but there is always some ulterior motive unless they are insane.
There is no such thing.. If a person ever did something that was selfless, it would be insane.
People always have selfish reasons for what they do. Sometimes it is because they think it makes them better people, sometimes it is because they think they are making a better world to live in, sometimes they think there is some reward in the afterlife but there is always some ulterior motive unless they are insane.
I used to think that way, when I was more cynical than I am now.
When I go over to the mailbox every day to check my mail, I pick up scraps of trash along the way, and put them in the trash barrel by the mailboxes. Do you think it is insane to do that, unless I have rationally calculated that some personal benefit will accrue in my favor as a product of doing so?
No matter how angry or frustrated I get with WalMart or McDonalds, I still treat their employees with courtesy and respect, and try to make their job and their day easier and more pleasant. Do you think it is insane to behave that way, unless I imagine that they will tender some kind of payback that will be to my profit?
Do you think it would be insane to support social causes like prison reform, unless I thought that when I am arrested for my crimes, my own penal servitude will be somehow mitigated? Or benefits for the homeless and destitute, as a form of insurance againts the hardships of my own future socioeconomic marginalization?
People always have selfish reasons for what they do. Sometimes it is because they think it makes them better people, sometimes it is because they think they are making a better world to live in, sometimes they think there is some reward in the afterlife but there is always some ulterior motive unless they are insane.
Replacing the word insane with 'hypnotized' or 'brainwashed' would be more appropriate to me, as only one with no free will of their own would do selfless service for others. robots and computers are currently the same in that they do things for us for no "personal" benefit.
I myself either do things for others to either gain something positive or to avoid gaining something negative. a common example is for me to either gain pleasant feelings such as joy, or for me to avoid gaining troubling feelings such as guilt. either way it is done for me.
But is this selfish of me. not to me! selfishness, in my opinion, is when you do things that bring zero benefit to others and/or bring any amount of misery to others.
I get joy from providing service to others, so I cannot say there so no selflessness involved. But here are a few stories that come to mind:
- This Christmas, sent out a care package to someone I know (not a close friend) who was feeling homesick, full of their favorite things.
- Fostered over 50 animals to prevent them from being euthanized while I worked at a shelter. Here is one story from that: Stopped in to pick up my paycheck and noticed a box of kittens outside the euthanasia door. This isn't uncommon, but I had room so I scooped them up to take home. On the way out, I noticed a cat and her babies were also being collected to also be put down because they were sick (her milk dried out) and they had ringworm.
We'll I already had one litter to feed, so whats one more? Once they were old enough I started sulfur dips to get rid of the fungal infection. It took three months. The day they were all adopted was fantastic.
Just a little more about the shelter. There are kind things I saw my co-workers do on a daily basis to bring comfort to all the animals. Little acts that go beyond job duties. Like, spending an extra minute during feedings to pet and talk to each animal (when you have over 300 animals a day that adds up). Noticing, which animals are feeling down or scared and spending your lunch petting with them or walking with them just to cheer them up and let them know someone loves them. When we ran out of wet food for kittens and older cats with dental problems there were employees and volunteers going out to buy what we needed with their own money (and a shelter worker doesnt make much!).
I've even seen the general public step up. When people dropped off newly born kittens, our policy was to euthanize them (most became very ill in a shelter), but first we would try to explain that if they could just keep them for 2-3 weeks, we wouldn't have to do that. Two thirds of the time people didn't care, BUT occasionally people in line (who where there for something else) would overhear and speak up volunteering to take them home.
My wife and I were driving from Houston to Port Lavaca on a cold and rainey night. A distance of about 125 miles, or so. We spotted a hitch hiker and it was pouring rain. We stopped and let him in the car. He said that he was going to Corpus Christi. About 85 miles farther from where we were going. When we got to where we were going I said that I would drop my wife off at her parents house and that I would take him the rest of the way to Corpus. He did not want me to do that. He said for me to drop him off at our town and he would hitch hike the 85 miles to Corpus. He had no money. So, instead, I bought him a bus ticket to Corpus after dropping my wife off at her parents house. Six months later, my wife's mom said that a fellow came to her house and gave her money to pay us back for buying him the bus ticket. He remembered where we dropped my wife off. This happened in 1968 and I still remember and respect that guy for doing that.
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