tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4018628005987004136.post625541891996538037..comments2014-02-02T13:38:25.603-05:00Comments on Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: Will We Ever Learn?Lawrence Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634783674023971441noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4018628005987004136.post-77531581251022131162013-05-19T10:13:11.798-04:002013-05-19T10:13:11.798-04:00Perhaps I should have said that altruism doesn'...Perhaps I should have said that altruism doesn't "honestly" exist. None of the promoters of the ideal ever actually believe it. It's ever and always a means of control of the masses. Even the most common exemplars, such as Mother Teresa, aren't perfectly altruistic and uninvolved. She did what she did because of the teachings of her religion and out of a desire to serve God. Thus, she had a personal motive driving her behaviors, while pure altruism demands one have no personal goals or agenda. It's an impossibility.<br /><br />As for so many wealthy supporting higher taxes out of supposed "guilt" for being rich? Nope. Look closer, and you will see their talk as nothing more than an attempt to insulate themselves from condemnation by the "have-nots" and government, while simultaneously promoting the erection of new barriers to wealth creation and accumulation by others. It's a way for them to protect the exclusivity of their own little club, sort of like a "cover charge" keeping out the riff-raff. If they truly believed what they profess, they'd argue for a wealth tax, since few if any of the truly wealthy actually have "earned income" or make an hourly wage.Lawrence Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12634783674023971441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4018628005987004136.post-32625522853240162322013-05-19T08:18:09.932-04:002013-05-19T08:18:09.932-04:00Sadly I would argue that altruism does exist and h...Sadly I would argue that altruism does exist and has for thousands of years. The belief that one should place the interests of others ahead of your own is the foundation of all religious and collectivist moralities. We see it everyday from the politicians calls for "shared sacrifice" to Pope Francis' recent calls for curbs on capitalism (which doesn't actually exist currenly, but if it did would entail a focus on the individual) and more focus on providing for "the common good." Whatever that is, it certainly isn't the individual.<br />The fact that you cannot consistently apply the philosopy of altruism and survive as a human being, as noted in your post, has not deterred leaders from calling for the people to attempt it. Nor has it deterred people from believing that they should follow this philosophy with the resulting guilt when they cannot. This is why so many wealthy people support higher taxes and wealth redistribution since it is just the government forcing them to do what they "should" be doing anyway.Patrick Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03322645569799125257noreply@blogger.com