Help! I Need Somebody...

What makes some people more helpful than others? Why do some people hold open the door, volunteer their time, or just provide kind words at will, without even thinking about it. It seems almost as second nature to them.

Others appear not to care, and go through life concerned only with their own needs.

Perhaps we all fall somewhere in between on this spectrum. I know I am both at different times. But overall, there people who can be counted on and those who simply cannot.

Are the helpful people influenced by somebody who helped them in the past? Did they make a subconscious decision that they would spend their lives helping others because somebody helped them once.

Many people say they won't be happy unless they're doing some sort of service work. Is this born of the selfish need to feel good about ourselves? The idea that there is no truly selfless act is a common one. We get something for ourselves when we help others- an alleviation of guilt, special recognition, or help in return.

I don't think this is necessary a bad thing. Who cares what the motivation was if the hungry are fed, the needy are attended, and the sick are healed? Just means to an end. If other people are helped in the process, then shouldn't that just be gravy?

Why should we make ourselves feel guilty for wanting to help people because it helps us?

Even on a grand scale, like stopping genocide, the same rule seems to apply. People attend rallies (which don't help much, coincidentally, but that's another blog entirely) to make themselves feel better about caring about the issue. They feel like they've done something. Perhaps it results in a few more people gaining awareness, or a meager sum donated and lost in the bureaucracy that surrounds altruistic organizations, but ultimately, the goal is to make people feel like they've helped. Their guilt for being on the favorable end of the need spectrum is temporarily alleviated by wearing a "Save Darfur" tshirt.

I suppose I've strayed quite drastically from my original musings, but the whole concept of volunteering and the psychology behind it intrigues me so much. There are so many factors.

But again, who cares? It's a means to an end. People still get helped, even if it never seems like quite enough. Humanity would simply collapse if we didn't help each other out occasionally. But it's so uneven and, usually, unfair.

I don't even know what I'm saying here. Humans are complex? Nothing is simple? Charity is a sham? Only the bottom line counts?

I don't know.