Pumping Someone Else's Blood
Our world is an advertising scam. And not just the commercials you see on television or the marked-down mark-ups at the grocery store. We advertise ourselves as well. Through every single one of our actions, words, and decisions, we portray ourselves in a certain manner. Though we may not openly admit it, we care more than anything how we present ourselves and how others see us -- and how we see ourselves. When we watch ourselves in a mirror, we are less likely to do something "wrong" like lie or cheat. We refuse to watch ourselves engaging in these misdeeds because we don't want to see ourselves as wrong-doers.
It is discouraging to think that a person's every move is geared towards some sort of self-promotion. When environmentalists first started to swarm every intersection on campus, I began to feel worse about myself rather than better about the steps that were being taken to "save our planet." Simple reason: I am punctual. I like to be on time to classes, or anywhere, for that matter. So as I'm pushing through hundreds of students en route to my next lecture class and a clipboard is shoved in my face with the leading question, "Do you have a second for the environment?" I have to say "No" and continue walking. And during the rest of my walk I am made to feel worse about myself as a person, and clipboard-shoving tree-hugger is back at the intersection patting himself on the back that he is better than I. But is he really just standing out in the rain in an effort to save the environment? Or is he trying to prove to others that he is a good person because he cares about the environment and is taking action for positive change?
Thankfully, yesterday's self and business-promoters lining the intersections were a little more friendly. They were handing out energy drinks to passer-bys. Two men in campus staff uniforms drove by in a golf cart looking rather overworked. The representative left her post to catch up to them. "A pair of energy drinks for you?" "Thanks, you are a doll," one responded as he wiped the sweat off his brow. A very kind act on her part, but deep down, I couldn't help but think that she was only doing it because she would get something out of it. If these workers were deeply satisfied by the drink, they are sure to pick up a whole pack at the grocery store before work tomorrow. Her company benefits. She benefits.
On my way home, I saw a woman in front of me bend down and pick up a pair of sunglasses. She then turned around and started yelling at the top of her lungs, "Sunglasses! Did anyone lose sunglasses fairly recently? Sunglasses!" Most people scurried past her or gave her odd looks for disrupting the peace of late-afternoon Locust. And still, she continued on, determined to find the poor soul whose eyes were cut off from UV protection. Was this a completely selfless act? Or maybe she felt badly about something she had said earlier in the day and was trying to make up for it. Or maybe she wanted someone to shower her with compliments and eternal gratification. Or maybe she was hoping that the sunglasses belonged to an attractive man who would be her Prince Charming. Or maybe she genuinely wanted to help. In our world today, when it seems like everyone is doing something for a self-promotional reason, it's hard not to second-guess the completely selfless act (if it even exists).
As I was waiting at a flight terminal, a toddler was running around handing out bags of candy to stressed and tired travelers. The mom would hand him two bags, he would run/waddle to two people, some that she had pointed out, others of his own choosing, hand them the bag of candy, and run back to his mother. Nobody approached the woman to learn her motives. The ignorance was indeed bliss. Seeing this young creature, full of life, zigzagging through aisles of seats and making people smile was priceless. And to find some ulterior motive would have only tainted it.
Maybe we do have ulterior motives. But in the end, if it helps someone else, it doesn't really matter where the good deed is coming from or that you help yourself in the process. I'm not about to let myself get stung by a bee just so that I can find a selfless good deed. Whether it's action or reaction, it gets the job done, and that's all that matters at the end of the day.
It is discouraging to think that a person's every move is geared towards some sort of self-promotion. When environmentalists first started to swarm every intersection on campus, I began to feel worse about myself rather than better about the steps that were being taken to "save our planet." Simple reason: I am punctual. I like to be on time to classes, or anywhere, for that matter. So as I'm pushing through hundreds of students en route to my next lecture class and a clipboard is shoved in my face with the leading question, "Do you have a second for the environment?" I have to say "No" and continue walking. And during the rest of my walk I am made to feel worse about myself as a person, and clipboard-shoving tree-hugger is back at the intersection patting himself on the back that he is better than I. But is he really just standing out in the rain in an effort to save the environment? Or is he trying to prove to others that he is a good person because he cares about the environment and is taking action for positive change?
Thankfully, yesterday's self and business-promoters lining the intersections were a little more friendly. They were handing out energy drinks to passer-bys. Two men in campus staff uniforms drove by in a golf cart looking rather overworked. The representative left her post to catch up to them. "A pair of energy drinks for you?" "Thanks, you are a doll," one responded as he wiped the sweat off his brow. A very kind act on her part, but deep down, I couldn't help but think that she was only doing it because she would get something out of it. If these workers were deeply satisfied by the drink, they are sure to pick up a whole pack at the grocery store before work tomorrow. Her company benefits. She benefits.
On my way home, I saw a woman in front of me bend down and pick up a pair of sunglasses. She then turned around and started yelling at the top of her lungs, "Sunglasses! Did anyone lose sunglasses fairly recently? Sunglasses!" Most people scurried past her or gave her odd looks for disrupting the peace of late-afternoon Locust. And still, she continued on, determined to find the poor soul whose eyes were cut off from UV protection. Was this a completely selfless act? Or maybe she felt badly about something she had said earlier in the day and was trying to make up for it. Or maybe she wanted someone to shower her with compliments and eternal gratification. Or maybe she was hoping that the sunglasses belonged to an attractive man who would be her Prince Charming. Or maybe she genuinely wanted to help. In our world today, when it seems like everyone is doing something for a self-promotional reason, it's hard not to second-guess the completely selfless act (if it even exists).
As I was waiting at a flight terminal, a toddler was running around handing out bags of candy to stressed and tired travelers. The mom would hand him two bags, he would run/waddle to two people, some that she had pointed out, others of his own choosing, hand them the bag of candy, and run back to his mother. Nobody approached the woman to learn her motives. The ignorance was indeed bliss. Seeing this young creature, full of life, zigzagging through aisles of seats and making people smile was priceless. And to find some ulterior motive would have only tainted it.
Maybe we do have ulterior motives. But in the end, if it helps someone else, it doesn't really matter where the good deed is coming from or that you help yourself in the process. I'm not about to let myself get stung by a bee just so that I can find a selfless good deed. Whether it's action or reaction, it gets the job done, and that's all that matters at the end of the day.
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