Good deeds

Have you done a good deed today?

Doing a good deed then bragging diminishes the good deed. Or does it? If somebody saves a child from a burning building, then proceeds to brag about it, does that change the action? Of course not, but it does reveal the sponsoring thought/motivation. The “hero” saved the child because of the possibility of future recognition. The child is saved – no doubt the deed is good and done – does it matter if the reason isn’t as wholesome as originally thought? I bet the child’s parents wouldn’t care one bit.

Full disclosure: I dunno if Buddha said that

So then if a good deed is a good deed regardless of the reason for doing so, what does it matter whether the deed-doer was behaving altruistically? If that is what motivates them to do a good deed, surely it’s better that they do the deed and get their “return” of feeling proud, and enjoying the likes on Social Media. Some people are inspired by others to be more charitable, more generous – posting a video of you buying a homeless person lunch could encourage somebody else, perhaps somebody you’ve never met, to follow your lead.

Congratulations

Celebrities are always in the press for donating their time/money, while also encouraging others to do so. It’s impossible to decipher the intentions of these acts, but we can be sure they increase the amount of time/money raised.

For those that do a good deed for reasons other than benevolence, surely they are the ones who “lose” in any given situation. Helping those in need is a pleasant experience because you feel you’ve done something to improve somebody else’s life, regardless of scale. That is the value of the deed. Bragging, attempting to make yourself seem kinder than you really are, or worse, to make others feel inferior, reduces the value of the deed for you the deed-doer. Even if you feel better, after receiving all of the likes, comments, and shares on social media, deep down you’ll know you did the deed for alternative reasons. (I purposefully didn’t use the word ‘wrong’ there.)

Finally, what about the anonymous donor? They tick every box, don’t they? Anonymous donors make a bit of a splash; their selfless act is often exactly that because they have concealed their identity, although sometimes the actions are made public, through news outlets or social media. That way they have performed a good deed, and more than likely encouraged others to do something similar without the possibility of receiving praise for their actions.

So, back to the original question. Have you? Why not help me provide even better blog posts. I accept cheques, card, cash, any non-reptilian animal, but, as always, I draw the line at compliments.