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Originally Posted by Treghc
What accomplishment should one be striving for? Our feelings are what tells us right from wrong, good from bad; it is our only perception of acknowledging events. How can one help others by not making them feel better?
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tend towards the eternal things (well the things that will transcend your own short life). Among them are civilization, family, art, truth and beauty(it ain't in the damned eye of the beholder either). You help others by aiding them in ways that might allow them to fulfill their own tasks.
Its the difference between spending a day on a conservation project or going skydiving. Building bridges for a living or sucking cocks for a living. One enriches the self the other enriches life which in turn enriches you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Treghc
What if one values the sense of pride that comes from helping others above all else? I understand you're not explicitly saying valuing feelings above all else always leads to deficient behavior with that statement, but it sounds like it's what you're getting at.
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Im sort of getting at that. Focusing on things that make you feel a certain way out of a lust for those feelings is a bad path to be on. It can most certainly deter you from doing the right thing, even though you feel bad about it.
Here's what happens:
Means suddenly become the focus over the ends. Placing the means over the ends is always bad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Treghc
This is why I mentioned being prideful. But both happiness and pride can come from outward thinking and influence. Does anyone ever actually help others when it only makes them feel worse in every aspect of their life? I don't believe such a thing has ever occurred in human history, nor do I believe it to be possible. A sense of pride comes from outward thinking.
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Do they? Yes I'm sure there are many. Tomorrow is a fine day to die. Get it?
I think you should spend some time to really get to know ancient cultures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Treghc
Also, to stay in context with the thread's intentions, do you not consider it possible for would-be parents to be able to provide a much better life for a child further down the road, with better finances, a better living situation, and more access to better care for the child if they simply waited before having a child?
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If they feel they can do so then they should wait. However, that line of thinking can lead to never having kids at all. In the case of the west, birth rates have plummeted especially with both sexes pursuing careers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Treghc
Say there's a starving college student who can barely afford to do anything, even while living in his parent's low-income household. This student is fortunately quite bright and has performed well in high school. His girlfriend gets pregnant. Should he stop funding his education to support that child when he could graduate, find a decent-level position and have a much more modest income to expend on a future child? I would consider that decision selfless, not selfish. It's a better life for a child, the man, and the woman to live in. Three people win while over one losing. I'd call that the better option.
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I think it is everyone's duty to behave responsibly and with discipline. Does the student who failed to practice these virtues at risk of forsaking his future get to terminate his own offspring because of his error? I say no.
