Helping others is something many of us enjoy doing. We experience satisfaction and comfort when we assist others, likely because we’re aware that we are providing aid to someone other than ourselves.
I question how many of us are helping others out of the goodness of our hearts, though. I saw a tweet the other day, and while I can’t recall exactly what it said, it was something along the lines of “don’t bother helping me out if you’re going to throw it in my face later,” and that shit really resonated with me.
How often do we assist someone else while thinking about our own self-gain? I’ve certainly experienced this twisted principle, as I’m sure many of you have as well. You help someone out with something, and soon enough, you find yourself at the forefront of a somewhat awkward confrontation in which the person who helped you is asking for a reciprocation of the same help as a sort of payment.
It’s kind of messed up when you think about it. Isn’t the whole point of helping someone out to do just that? To help them? As opposed to doing something for someone, fully expecting a favour in return?
We live in a world that emphasizes greed, entitlement, impatience and selfishness, and I think this emphasis is significantly influencing how we interact with others. When was the last time you did something for someone out of the goodness of your heart, without expecting something in return? We’re all guilty of perpetuating this mentality, and I find it’s becoming more and more severe with upcoming generations.
If you offer to assist someone, don’t do so in vain. The concept of selflessness doesn’t involve selfishness, and I think quite a few of us need to be reminded of that.
ontheedgeofeverything 