I watched a good movie this evening. I was due for another good purging.
So I purged, but not as heavily as thought I might. I guess once I figured out what was happening, the plot didn't hit me so heavily. Nonetheless.... powerful stuff!
I saw Seven Pounds.
The hard part is for me to comment on the movie without giving the story away. Even though the audience can pretty well figure out what will happen within the 1st thirty (or so) minutes, its still compelling to watch. It draws you in.
It is about compassion and guilt. Two very powerful emotions that drive this story.
I couldn't help wondering what happened to the Box Jelly. But that is beside the point. :-)
I was reminded of my days in college. In grad school I took a Social Psychology class. There was considerable amount of material and ensuing discourse regarding altruism. There is an undying philosophical question associated with it too..... Is there such a thing as pure altruism? On just about any given day you can hear someone discussing this in the library or hanging out near the Psych classes. My professor and I had a discussion about this too. I never did figure out what his opinion was, but then I suppose that is what made him a good professor. He & I discussed this a couple times and he understood my position well. Well enough to use me as an example in a class discussion. Score 1 nerd point for the guy sitting in the center of the back row. :-)
This argument is (predictably) never really settled. There are strong opinions going either way. Its kind of like arguing over which side of the sausage is its beginning?
But within that argument lies something even more important. Even more important than the motives for altruism is the outcome of it. What does the reason matter if someone did something for someone else. Isn't the outcome what really matters?
I put this movie in the same class as "Life as a House." Amazing!
I'll leave you with a couple trailers from these movies.... Food for thought.
Let me know your thoughts! Enjoy & be well!
4 years ago
4 comments:
IMO, no such thing as pure altruism.
thanks for the comment.
What are your thoughts on the other question....the one that questions whether the motive matters if the outcome is what counts?
I look forward to making your acquaintance.
Be well, and thanks again :-)
Whether motive matters depends on your point of reference and your reason for evaluation. Are you the recipient of the good deed, the person performing it... or maybe a diety evaluating the worthiness of the act? If the recipient knows the motive is flawed, it can sully the good act in their eyes. (e.g., testifying only to escape charges of your own puts you on weak grounds with judge and jury).
But serving soup on a soup line for the good feeling it gives you (or to escape guilt by action), while not pure altruism, still puts food in someone's belly. If I'm starving, or dying, I care less about *why* you did something.
So I guess a mitigating factor is how desperate the helpee has become. Hanging over a cliff? Just help me back up and damn the reason.
So this one is a 'it depends'. And this particular line of discourse is one of those that can go long, with mead and firelight. No one right answer, and lots of juicy fragments. :)
I should probably add that my first degree was in sociology and my second in psych, so I had to drone on about this in college once... much like you. I enjoy the mental exercise.
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