What happened to make you finally accept that it's not worth it to be an altruistic person?

[horse@lemmygrad.ml]

i ceased to be a human being

[404@lemmy.zip]

It's quite the opposite. I'm realising more and more as I age, how important it is to be able to cooperate and be nice to others both on individual and societal levels.

Granted, some environments won't allow for altruism without harming you (for instance, workplaces where selflessness will be taken advantage of). If I was in an environment like that I wouldn't change my core values -- I'd switch environments.

[coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone]

There are always moments in someones life where they have to stop and look around them to see how things have been moving along and if they are moving in a direction which is acceptable. It's in those moments that one might realize the life they're living is a bit lopsided in terms of give and take. From there the extrapolation of if being off balance is acceptable to that person given the struggles of those around them is worth continuing down that path. And in the final push of Altruism, a realization that the world will never be balanced and as long as you have enough, then you should do whatever you can do make sure others are brought up to a level of enough to not cause undo suffering.

I am willing to admit that there are a small subsection of people who cannot be appropriately helped as they are unwilling (but completely able) to help themselves, and any efforts to aid them will only make them reliant on the assistance.

[lath@lemmy.world]

As other comments have said, "Altruism is the concern for the well-being of others, independently of personal benefit or reciprocity."
To be true to the definition, one wouldn't seek worth from altruistic actions. If one did however, that's called being a calculating person.

Anyway, altruism rarely is seen positively in the real world because there's no worth to be found beyond the deed itself.

[random_character_a@lemmy.world]

Disappointment in people. Getting spat on the face for not helping more.

I am very very sad to come to the conclusion that sometimes there is a reason why people are "down and out" and that's because people around them have left.

[Guest]

Absolutely nothing.

[dosse91@lemmy.trippy.pizza]

I realized that people didn't really give a shit about me and just used me for my skills. I was always there for them when they needed me, but when I asked them for anything they were always busy or had some excuse. I started using the same excuses on them and they all disappeared almost immediately.

I still help people of course: some close friends, some colleagues, my students, but I no longer show myself to be competent in certain things so I can avoid parasites.

[ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone]

Nothing. It will always be worth it

[Guest]

Fucking what?

[andrzej3k@hexbear.net]

It is definitely worth it

[Guest]

I dunno, when did you stop beating your wife?

[Guest]

delete this nephew. Lol

[reakduck@lemmy.ml]

I somehow need to learn to be altruistic.

Too much empathy seemed pretty harmful.

The much more dumber and egoistic I am, the better the life. Because intelligent and empathic mostly causes depression and suffering.

[professorowl_phd@hexbear.net]

If you were looking for reciprocation you weren't being altruistic. The whole point of altruism is that you're improving the lives of others despite not recieving anything in kind. It's not meant to be "worth it".

[Guest]

I probably cannot live with a lot of people, even if they really need it. I've been woken up by angry housemates one too many times and I'm really not coping.