Selflessness And The Loss Of Self Analysis

“Those who care for others… live a life , in a divine way, above others” -Anonymous. Even as small children, we are taught to treat others as we would like to be treated, but as we grow older, the world becomes more complex, and the length to which we should stretch ourselves for others becomes unclear. Some people may believe that one must always put others first, while others put other people’s worries and safety far behind their own. Throughout this year I have gathered artifacts, some support these theories, while others do not, and a rew support my own theory. I believe that the most healthy and appropriate way to approach this moral grey area is to always consider other’s needs and feelings, but you must also consider your needs and know

Logically speaking, you would always want to help people, but overexerting yourself to try and help them solve their problems, it won’t really help anyone. These ideas are expressed in Selflessness and the Loss of Self (Hampton, Jean, and Daniel Farnham. The Intrinsic Worth of Persons: Contractarianism in Moral and Political Philosophy. New York: Cambridge UP, 2007. Print) Jean Hampton expresses her appeal to this idea, but also states that finding a “perfect balance” is near impossible. Of course, she encourages to get as close as you can. The idea is also presented in Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.) While George, one of the book’s protagonists, is constantly trying to stay within that “perfect balance” in terms of taking care of his friend Lennie. Sometimes George would much rather go out and have fun with the other men from the farm, but he knows that Lennie needs him, so he tries to stick around his friend as much as possible. Though George will tend to lean towards the more selfish end of the

While selflessness is typically an admirable quality to possess, being too selfless will only make matters worse for yourself. Stories of rich men giving away all their money and possessions warn us of the possible consequences of being too kind for our own good. The story behind Christ Bearing the Cross ("North Netherlandish (Utrecht?) Painter | Christ Bearing the Cross." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, I.e. The Met Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015) is the story of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. While from a biblical standpoint this was the right thing for Jesus to do, from a purely objective view, Jesus’ selflessness ultimately leads to his death. Jesus was a giving man who did good deeds for complete strangers, because he felt it was his duty. In the painting, he is shown in his final moments, totally ready to accept his death. Again, while this might make sense from a biblical view, Jesus sacrificed his life for little to no reason. His love for other people eventually was what ended him. The Pelican in Her Piety (Unknown. "Pelican in Her Piety." Metmuseum.org. Met Museum, 1400. Web) depicts the love of a mother for her children. The mother pelican is presumed to be unsuccessful in finding food for her children, and they are going hungry. The mother makes the choice to sacrifice her own life and slice her breast in order to feed her children. Just like in Christ Bearing the Cross, the