...Is it possible for man to be completely selfless? A cynic may say not. But, selfless actions and thoughts are not only possible, but give a real sense of satisfaction and abiding happiness. What do we mean by real selflessness? Selflessness means we act without thought for how we will profit or be rewarded. If we give help to others, but expect recognition or the favour to be returned, this is not a selfless action. True selflessness means we would do the action, even if it was never know to anyone else. Selflessness means we identify with others. Our service to others is not an act of condescending charity in helping others, our action is motivated by a feeling of oneness. We help others because we identify with their problems and their suffering. Selflessness is its own reward. In a true selfless action we are not acting to feed our ego and receive the flattery of the world; we are not acting out of competition or desire to prove ourself to others. Selflessness means we act out of a motivation to do the right thing and help others. By definition, selflessness cannot involve inflating our ego, it does exactly the opposite. When we act only out of selfish motives we bind and limit ourselves. Every action, we calculate how we might benefit; this attitude hinders the intuitive and spontaneous feelings of the heart. When we act through selfless motives we are helping to expand our sense of self and sense of identity. This enables us to get joy from the achievements of others;...
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...It was always frowned upon by my classmates to be different. They did not see the world as I did, and I did not see it from their perspective. They abhorred my experiences because I stood out, and in first grade the worst thing that could happen to one would be to stand out. I ignored there loathing and continued reading my books. I was enthralled by these dedicated individuals called heroes. Despite being in a different era I found Beowulf captivating and while watching The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey, I was able to devise common traits all heroes share such as :courage , selflessness, and perseverance. In Beowulf it was refreshing to see a hero who has been dubbed “the strongest man alive” come to terms with the fact that he is not, and...
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...Danielle Evans, esteemed American fiction writer, portrays the ultimate form of sacrifice and selflessness in her intriguing short story, “Robert E. Lee Is Dead”. Throughout the story, Evans highlights the positive and negative effects of dependent relationships amongst best friends in a southern, lower-class setting. Her story demonstrates multiple instances of reliance, peer pressure, and loyalty, while also having an interesting and superior plot. Evans’ main characters, Geena and Crystal, grow together throughout the story, despite their opposite personalities. Geena, a troublesome teenager, becomes best friends with a smart, shy girl named Crystal. Their friendship faces multiple obstacles, yet each girl relies on the companionship...
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...you haven't done anything yet for anybody else”(Thurman 1). Robert Thurman is an internationally recognized scholar, translator and author, and the first Westerner to be ordained by the Dalai Lama as a Tibetan Buddhist monk (Thurman, 440). He is one of the most distinguished Tibetanists in the world. In his short essay, “Wisdom” taken from Infinite Life Thurman explains the Buddhist concept of selflessness. He says the purpose of realizing your own selflessness is not to feel like you are nobody, but rather to become enlightened. “After he became enlightened, the Buddha did not sit under a tree drooling, and saying ‘Oh wow! I’m nobody!’ Think about it: If he just became nobody, if he escaped from the world through self-obliteration, then he wouldn’t have been able to share so many teachings here on earth, to work for the good of all beings for years and years, long after he achieved nirvana. He would’ve just stayed in his nobody state and forgotten about all of us poor humans busy suffering through our miserable lives (Thurman 442).” In this quote, Thurman explains that selflessness does not mean that we are nobody and cease to exist, that there is no way you can ever not exist, just as you cannot become nothing. There is no way to become nobody;...
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...not acting for fame and image, but also demonstrates his heroic traits. Mr. Rogers believed in using television as a tool to spread kindness and important values. Furthermore, rather than look to television for fame, Rogers wanted to help others, not himself, which shows his extreme selflessness. Moreover, this action of going into television for the benefit of children is incredibly inspiring as it shows his kindness and selflessness. Overall, Rogers, despite having...
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...leader. While the importance of the accomplishment of these influential leaders remains, their character teaches on an entirely new level of significance. Character consists of numerous aspects, including empathy, selflessness, and confidence, all of which make for a remarkable leader. Frequently, people see successful leaders as cold and disdain; however, growing up in the military provided me with the realization that the true leaders empathize with those around them. At the age of nine, I met General Milligan. Confident, self-assured, demonstrative, and in command, she held the power and everyone around her knew it. General Milligan held authority over...
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...are the hero’s boast, the hero’s superhuman abilities, and lastly the hero’s selflessness and bravery. I believe that the Anglo-Saxon characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon hero are shown through Beowulf, and he displays his glorious boasts, his amazing superhuman abilities, and his heroic moments of bravery and selflessness, because of his efforts shown in the text against his times of opposition. Anglo-Saxon heroes were known for their infamous boasts, Beowulf being a prime example of such. In the beginning of The Coming of Beowulf, Beowulf arrives before the king of the Danes, Hrothgar, and as such he must prove himself worthy to take on the task of defeating Grendel. Beowulf boasts of his accomplishments to that very king. Beowulf speaks of himself defeating the race of giants and driving five into chains, diving into the ocean at...
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...A good leader is hard to define. “Leadership is the art of leading others to deliberately create a result that wouldn’t have happened otherwise” - search inside yourself leadership institute. There are also many qualities of a good leader. Some of the qualities include honesty, decisiveness, and selflessness. In the epic poem the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus, the main character, is faced with the decision between the monsters Scylla and Charybdis. Scylla is a female monster with 6 dog heads, and Charybdis is a whirlpool. He chooses to pass by Scylla instead of Charybdis on his journey home. Odysseus is a good leader he makes good decisions, and he puts his men's needs in front of his own. As mentioned before, the main qualities of a leader...
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...door open for you on your way out from a tough day at work; the friend who comforted you in a time of need although he was struggling with troubles of his own; the first respondents to the tragedy that was 9/11 and hurricane Katrina. Without a rigid set of guidelines to define the word, selflessness or altruism can take many different shapes and sizes depending on the situation at hand and the willingness of the selfless. But a definition that encompasses all acts of selflessness can practically be found within the word itself. Selfless. The suffix "-less" means without, so selfless can be thought of as “without oneself”. That woman, that friend, that brave firefighter or Red Cross volunteer acted with the best interests of the other in mind, no matter the consequences their actions may have brought upon themselves. It is this loss of self that characterizes selflessness best. The goal of the altruistic is to help those in need as best they can, but just as no two keys fit the same lock, selflessness, in a general sense of the word, is not adequate to solve each of our problems. So it makes sense that, in a world where our problems are as diverse as we are, there will be a unique form of selflessness to dispel each of the different types of obstacles that prevent us from reaching our goals. There are those people who need money and so there are those who are monetarily selfless; there are those people who require compassion, so there are those who are emotionally selfless; there...
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...there are some universal qualities that a hero should have. Some of the features that come to mind when thinking of a hero include: superhuman abilities, courage, and selflessness. In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf displays all of these heroic traits. While some could argue that Beowulf is not a hero due to his desire for glory, his heroic qualities outweigh this one fault. Overall, Beowulf’s effectiveness as a hero can be seen through his courage and selflessness to take on extraordinary monsters and his superhuman ability to take on these creatures. The story begins by introducing a community and a monstrous creature that plagues the citizens. The creature, Grendel, is exceptionally power as he is able to kill thirty warriors with little effort: “He slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies” (4). This would surely scare most men but not Beowulf. Beowulf welcomes the challenge and prepares to fight him as soon as he hears about the creature: “In his far-off home Beowulf, … heard how Grendel filled nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat fitted out” (6). Beowulf’s readiness to fight Grendel exemplifies his courage and selflessness. The fact that Beowulf lives in a far-off land further...
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...In the stories “The Necklace” and “The Gift of the Magi”, there are many similarities and differences. Both teach life lessons, teaching of the gift of selflessness, and the problems brought on by selfishness. A similarity between the character Della from “The Gift of the Magi” and Madame Loisel from “The Necklace” is that both have financial trouble. The difference between them is that while Madame Loisel is selfish, Della is selfless. One example of this is in “The Gift of the Magi”, when Della gives up her most prized possession for the man she loves. Della sells her hair for $20, and combined it with the $1.37 she had spent all year saving for this day. Using the money, Della bought a beautiful platinum chain for her husband Jim’s most...
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...chanting, rhythms and mere work songs. But there is a lot more to this particular genre. In over a hundred years, blues music has developed with several exotic and ethnic influences. No other genre of music is seen to connect or deal with human emotions as much as blues does. It is thus natural to ponder why and how blues came to exist as such a down to earth music, apart from all the other types. 2 Is there anything called ‘absolute selflessness’? The world has always praised those individuals who gave up selfish reasons and stood up for humanity. Thus this quality or attribute is of being selfless, setting your life for the betterment of others. So, what is selflessness? Is it actually what we think it is? Or is it just an altered reflection of selfishness. When we look at it deeply, isn’t selflessness just a key to attaining certain satisfactions? Human beings are wired to reach the one and only goal which is self satisfaction through any and every course of activity. Although the kinds of satisfactions individuals may desire from selflessness vary massively. Now what are these variations? How do these shape our definition of humanity? 3 Is it the culture, lifestyle or just racial characteristics that ensure such high life expectancy of the Japanese? Japan is seen to exercise a unique food menu compared to the rest of...
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...In the words of Christopher Reeve, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” A hero doesn’t have to save the world from a world wide mass destruction like superman. They also don’t have to be male. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus and real life modern day hero Razia Jan model what a good hero really is. Odysseus and Razia Jan reveal how a good hero is someone who can overcome obstacles because it exhibits determination, inner courage, and selflessness. A good hero has the determination to keep moving even when there are hardships along the way. Through his entire journey Odysseus is being thrown into danger and terrifying situations nonstop....
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... | |existing between Amir and his family. Amir feels guilt throughout the story towards those who have made sacrifices for him, such as those | |sacrifices of Hassan and Baba. Also, his character development throughout the novel allows him to be able to make sacrifices for those | |around him after realizing the nature of selflessness. With this intense moral realization, he is finally able to put his lifelong guilt to| |rest. | | | |In the beginning of the story, Amir is a egoistic twelve-year old living in Afghanistan, whose goal in life is nothing more than to gain | |the approval and affection of his father (Baba). His wealthy yet detached father has shown him mainly distance and indifference for Amir's | |entire life. Amir spends the entirety of his free time with his lifelong companion, Hassan, who cares for him with seemingly entire | |selflessness and affection. Amir is unable to return this affection, at least on the surface, frequently teasing Hassan and treating him | |rather badly. At this point in time, Amir has no idea how to return Hassan's kindness and sense of automatic sacrifice for him. | | ...
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...reached its climax when the boy said ‘-and as the doctor fetched the board around and Muff Potter fell, Injun Joe jumped with a knife and-’” (139) Tom uses his knowledge responsibly in a safe environment, rather than using it to his own advantage. Twain reminds the readers that sticking up for others is always the right thing to do. Coming out with the truth is important in the non fictitious world. For example, important stars in Hollywood have been joining in on the #MeToo movement, a movement against sexual harassment. It relates to telling the truth because they are exposing other stars in Hollywood who have committed sexual crimes, even though it may corrupt their own career or reputation. Twain’s example of the growth of Tom and selflessness in the novel is a constant reminder to always help others, even if it might not help in any...
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