Aphorisms and Observations

[unixronin]

I've formulated a fair collection of personal aphorisms and observations over the years.  Currently, there's 62 of them.  They're a mixed bag; some of them are weightier and more substantive than others.

I've decided that for the next little while, I'm going to try to remember to post one of them per day for consideration and discussion.  (Feel free to nudge me if I forget, assuming you're interested.)  I may or may not have additional thoughts or observations of my own to kickstart, or provide perspective on, any discussion.

So let's kick it off with this one:

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1.  If everything that you do in your life, you do only for yourself; then everything that you do, you do for nothing.

Comments

[ithildae]

I am not certain that my life has no meaning or value if I do not influence others. By extension, if someone else influences only me, does their life have meaning? If I do something for someone else, and it is unnoticed, is the statement still true?

It is an interesting thought train, but there is something about the assumptions it is based on that I can't agree with. Even if I do agree with the sentiment.

[glitch25.livejournal.com]

Not sure I agree with this one. If you are truly selfish enough to only do for yourself and you accept that nobody will be doing for you either, then you aren't doing for nothing. You're doing for you until You is no more. It doesn't matter that you're not doing for anybody else. EVERYONE ELSE might think you're doing it for nothing, but why should you be made to feel that way?

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

It's true, there is the completely selfish viewpoint. But consider what a world we would live in if nobody ever did anything that wasn't purely and entirely for their own sole benefit. We would never have left the Dark Ages.

[fruitylips.livejournal.com]

There by proving that acting in the greater interest is in the best interest of the individual and thus purely selfish...

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Heh. That can probably be argued indefinitely. :) I personally contend that pure selfishness and enlightened self-interest are not equivalent.

[glitch25.livejournal.com]

On that note, from some folks view, we never would have left Eden. :-)

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Even if we allow speculation that an Eden ever existed as-described, I will state a personal conviction that never having left it would not be a good thing. As biblically described, Adam and Eve were pretty much de facto pets.

[glitch25.livejournal.com]

You say that like it's a bad thing. :-)

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Additional clarification on this:  I quite agree that to someone who is entirely selfishly motivated, their actions will not seem pointless to them. Indeed, to them, if they are indeed entirely selfish, anything they do that does not directly benefit them will appear pointless.

However, I think someone who acts entirely selfishly in that manner will one day find, should they look back to see what they have accomplished in their life, that they have left nothing behind that they can point to or be remembered for (except possibly for being a selfish bastard). Now, if they don't mind that, well, that's fine for them.

But from my personal point of view, I'm not like that. I want and need to have at least something that I can point to and say, "I accomplished that; there was some objective value or purpose to my existence." I entirely understand that many people don't feel that need, and I'm OK with that too. But these are personal aphorisms, remember. I feel that the true worth of people is measured by what they did for others, not what they did for themselves. Anyone can climb on other people to get out of the muck. But not everyone will try to lift other people out with them, or leave a ladder behind for others to climb, or stay to help others up the ladder.

[glitch25.livejournal.com]

And don't get me wrong. I appreciate that they are personal aphorisms. And I also understand the sentiment behind this one. But you did say it was up for discussion.. So I am. And I don't like the wording of it.

Along those lines, that need to leave a legacy can be construed as selfishly motivated as well. I'll give you an example: Some people have the overwhelming need to procreate in the interest of having a "Mini-Me". It doesn't matter that there are bunches and bunches of children without parental units stuck in a screwed-up system. It doesn't matter that adding mouths to feed to an already taxed system of existence (some moreso in other countries) continues to further the problem. No. It's all about "this person needs to be of me. Mine. My genes. My contribution. Mine."

That's not to say that all people are like that, but I do think that some of your motivations (in the context of this discussion), when applied to people in general, can also at times be construed as selfish.

[glitch25.livejournal.com]

Were I to reword it into a personal aphorism for myself, I would say, "If everything that you do in your life, you do only for yourself; then nothing you do shall persist beyond yourself."

[cymrullewes.livejournal.com]

Where's #2?