Hey, Rap: I didn't start this thread to have people list their good acts... I have no doubt that we all do them, and the less we try to draw attention to ourselves because of them, the better. I have a son who has trained to be a literacy volunteer, and I'm very proud of him for that. He had a real hard time, growing up, so he is particularly compassionate to people who feel out of the circle. It's taken him a long time to finally decide to do it, and he's just starting so he has some self-doubts about whether he will be able to do it well. I've told him that he will quickly find that he will receive far more than he can give, just helping to lift someone else up. That's something we all realize. The pleasure and gratitude for being able to help someone else is more than enough of a repayment for any good we do.

I had a very good friend for many years who had a very cynical attitude about everything. She said that there is no such thing as an unselfish act, because when you do good, it makes you feel good. And, therefor in her mind, it was a selfish act because you did it to make yourself feel good. I always told her she was confusing motivation with how you feel after doing a good act. Like everything else of course, motivation is the key. If you do good acts to draw attention to yourself and make yourself look good, then
there is no value in your acts. If you do good acts out of love, then you will be blessed with an internal satisfaction. There is no need to draw attention to the act, because you have already been rewarded.

Jerry