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Not sure who said it, but "our greatest reason for being is to serve others." Even an atheist must admit that there's a certain satisfaction that comes from he

Not sure who said it, but "our greatest reason for being is to serve others." Even an atheist must admit that there's a certain satisfaction that comes from helping other people (even anonymously) that really has no limit. Go out and help make the world a better place - not out of a hope for reward or recognition... just for fun. It's addictive.

Amezarak 13y ago
So you serve others to serve yourself? ;) That sounds like a reward to me!
- dperfect 13y ago
  If that kind of "reward" isn't noble enough (I don't know of anything nobler), then we might as well not live at all.
croisillon 13y ago
Your comment on atheist shows your ignorance of what atheism is. Not sure if that's the one you're after but Rabindranath Tagore wrote this : I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.
- dperfect 13y ago
  My comment refers to the hope or expectation that noble acts will always be outwardly rewarded in some form (in this life or after) by a being who rewards us based on merit. That expectation is not a driving force for an atheist or naturalist. My point is that the absence of (expected) outward recognition or reward for altruistic behavior (by a supernatural or spiritual being) does not preclude someone from experiencing the joy that comes through service. And no, I personally don't classify that joy as a selfish reward, but rather a natural consequence built in to the human brain. Whether put there by God or developed via natural forces/evolution as a mechanism to protect life (we feel satisfaction in helping other animals - not just our own species), it doesn't matter; the fact is, it's a part of our nature and can hardly be discredited in any moral debate.
  - croisillon 13y ago
    When you say "Even an atheist must admit that there's a certain satisfaction that comes from helping other people (even anonymously) that really has no limit." you imply that theists have a reason to being altruistic (an probably will?) while atheists don't (and probably won't). Altruism and faith are not correlated, hence I disagree to the way you worded that.

Amezarak 13y ago

So you serve others to serve yourself? ;) That sounds like a reward to me!

dperfect 13y ago
If that kind of "reward" isn't noble enough (I don't know of anything nobler), then we might as well not live at all.

croisillon 13y ago

Your comment on atheist shows your ignorance of what atheism is. Not sure if that's the one you're after but Rabindranath Tagore wrote this : I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.

dperfect 13y ago
My comment refers to the hope or expectation that noble acts will always be outwardly rewarded in some form (in this life or after) by a being who rewards us based on merit. That expectation is not a driving force for an atheist or naturalist. My point is that the absence of (expected) outward recognition or reward for altruistic behavior (by a supernatural or spiritual being) does not preclude someone from experiencing the joy that comes through service. And no, I personally don't classify that joy as a selfish reward, but rather a natural consequence built in to the human brain. Whether put there by God or developed via natural forces/evolution as a mechanism to protect life (we feel satisfaction in helping other animals - not just our own species), it doesn't matter; the fact is, it's a part of our nature and can hardly be discredited in any moral debate.
- croisillon 13y ago
  When you say "Even an atheist must admit that there's a certain satisfaction that comes from helping other people (even anonymously) that really has no limit." you imply that theists have a reason to being altruistic (an probably will?) while atheists don't (and probably won't). Altruism and faith are not correlated, hence I disagree to the way you worded that.