Linnear Thoughts - Unselfishness

Ultimately, everything we do is done for a selfish reason.

Once you know that, and you know that God knows that, sometimes it’s easier to do the right thing.

Even Mother Theresa had selfish motives for helping others. It made her feel good. There you go. Right there. I’m sure she did it because it was the right thing to do, but I made her feel good to do the righ thting. If it made her feel bad to do the right thing she probably wouldn’t have done so many good deeds.

Makes sense? Of course it does.

For most people it’s ingrained from childhood that if you do what’s right then you’re a wonderful person. People want to feel like wonderful people and that is why they do good deeds. Either that or because they feel good deed will ge tthem into heaven. Or because doing the right thing in front of the right people will get them something they want, a promotion, money, the presidency.

So, on to the next question. Does doing the right thing for selfish reasons mean you’ve failed in the eyes of God, that you won’t get into heaven, that allah doesn’t acknowledge the deed?

Well, I can’t say for sure but I’m guessing not completely. Otherwise, the only person in heaven is the big guy himself.

For those of you who don’t quite get my logic, go on. For those who are eight or nine steps ahead of me, feel free to skip the following theories.

If you do the right thing for material gains and you don’t give a flying rat’s butt who else benefits from it, then I hope you and your conscience have a long sit down chat soon, because I’d have to figure that means you’d hurt people for those same material means.

If you do the right thing because it feels right, and it makes you happy to do it, then you’re like me on a good day, and that’s the way you’re suppose to feel. Congratulations, you’re happy, the people you’ve helped are better off for your existence and the world is a bright and shiny place.

If you do the right thing because it feels right, even though you’re not happy about it. Because now you’re the one who has to go out of your way to help people. You’re doing it because you know you’ll be taunted by your conscience if you don’t do it and, darn it, it’ll take less time to do the darn good deed than to debate with yourself and that damn angel on your shoulder why you shouldn’t do it. You don’t want to be the one to unclog the toilet, you didn’t stop it up. You don’t want to give up your seat to the old person on the bus, you don’t want to spend your last $1 til payday on a bagel and a cup of coffee for that homeless guy huddled in the doorway across the street. But you do it anyway. Then you’re like me on a normal day. When I don’t have the halo around my head and the stars aren’t extra twinkly or the sun extra bright. When I know the world is full of assholes, but I don’t want to be one of them. Congratulations again, you’re in good company.

Every action has a reaction. For someone to be 100% unselfish they have to knowingly act and then have no reaction to their own action. Which is 100% impossible. And guess what? God created us like that. And the big guy doesn’t make mistakes.