# Do you love/hate helping others and why? Poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2002, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989 "2002-12-02T17:23:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989/21 "2002-12-04T22:11:13Z")
First off thank you all for sharing the good things you all do for others. It gives me and - I’m sure - all of you a sense that there are kind people out there even in this heck-tic world we are living in. \*\* Damascene \*\* said: > [@](#): > > I also really believe in the philosophy that if you do something good, you shouldn’t tell the world about it. Keep it to yourself. If you’re doing good things just so that people can see you and say “hey, what a great guy!” then you should probably re-examine your motives… Not sure on this but I’d say you’ve read a little of the **Tao Te Ching** by Lao Tzu. More importantly if you have not read about the Tao Te Ching then you have completely demonstrated its existence - or should I say non-existence 😉 - thank you! Also **The Rickchu** said: > [@](#): > > … there is definately some personal satisfaction I get out of helping people, I don’t know why. Perhaps its because I made an influence on someone elses life, whether its small or big… Yes and thats why helping others is intrinsically good for the soul. Again I’m happy this thread shows others around the world are helping out everyday… Making these boards step down to the human level shows not everyone is in the world is fighting, that there are people out there helping… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989/22 "2002-12-04T22:13:34Z")
OH YEAH!!! **The Rickchu** … Welcome to the Boards!!! ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989/23 "2002-12-04T22:49:25Z")
I enjoy it. We do our share of volunteering and charity work but it is the small, everyday stuff that I think is the most important. It is always saying please and thank-you, looking the convienence store clerk in the eye and telling him to “have a nice night” and meaning it, holding doors, telling a stranger that they dropped some papers, remembering details about your co-workers lives, noticing a new hairstyle, etc. As noted by **Green Bean** and **Cranky** , karma is out there. I hope that this is the one thing that my kids learn from me. (Welcome **The Rickchu**. May you post-count grow ever longer.) ---
**Author:** ![Gregory\_Louis\_Gayness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gregory\_Louis\_Gayness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregory_Louis_Gayness)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989/24 "2002-12-04T23:24:18Z")
Hate it. I just don’t like unnecessary interaction with other people. Makes me feel “phony,” a la Holden Caulfield. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989/25 "2002-12-04T23:30:18Z")
I just do. Helping people seems to be in my nature. I don’t love it or hate it - I certainly don’t hate it though. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989/26 "2002-12-05T00:42:38Z")
**Greg** said: > [@](#): > > Hate it. I just don’t like unnecessary interaction with other people. Makes me feel “phony,” a la Holden Caulfield. Sorry but … you seem to have missed what Salinger was trying to say when he created Holden… Read it again… and your view on helping others may change… Try picking up some Richard Bach… maybe,\* Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah…\* ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989/27 "2002-12-05T00:42:47Z")
I enjoy giving away stuff I don’t need to those who do; I don’t mind donating some $ when I can spare it; my job as a prof requires me to help students and I don’t mind that either. I don’t like it when people try to take advantage of my generosity, but I guess that’s bound to happen. I also don’t enjoy it when people dump all over me and/or expect me to solve problems for them that are beyond my control. But when you get right down to it, I like it and it makes me feel better. Or at least good. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989/28 "2002-12-05T00:44:04Z")
**p.s. Welcome to the boards Greg** ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989/29 "2002-12-05T02:44:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > \*\ ***Greg** said: > Sorry but … you seem to have missed what Salinger was trying to say when he created Holden… > Read it again… and your view on helping others may change… > > Try picking up some Richard Bach… maybe,\* Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah…\* \*\* Sorry, I could have been clearer on that. What I meant was that the feeling I have when contemplating helping others is similar to the feeling Holden gets when contemplating the things he considers “phony.” The characteristic of “phoniness” that he perceives from polite society, conventional manners, etc., is, I believe, the same one I perceive when thinking about helping people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-love-hate-helping-others-and-why-poll/139989.md?page=1)