150+ killed trying to loot overturned fuel tanker in Pakistan

[El_Machinae]

I don't think "doing good" is necessarily dependent on wealth (excess or otherwise) at all.

I think it can be just as important to "do good" at the most microscopic level of daily life.

Like smiling at one another. Or telling each other jokes. Or asking how another person is feeling.

(I'm not too bad, actually. Thanks for asking.)

These things are independent. One can be a nice person and actually donate to fight desperate poverty at the same time.

ICBM, I am not asking people to be stupid with their money. Of course people need to build lives and assets. Duh. Goodness comes from the luxury and splurging budget. Not from the desperation budget.

Not everyone who reads my posts are poor grad students. Many will be well-above the median income eventually and will *still* balk at the idea of actual charity.

 

[Borachio]

Yes, indeed. You're not wrong.

The things we tell ourselves so that we can avoid doing anything!

 

[Hygro]

yes, well in my day, that is simply called narcissistic projection but I must admit that my words were harsh....i have not been in the best of moods and displacement is not much better than projection

Twenty pages into Christopher Lasch I couldn't help but notice the theme:
"The problem of our times is how everyone is saying the world is going off a cliff. Now please read the next 300 pages to see how cultural narcissism is going to end our society and drive us off a cliff"

Well we can't be worsening that problem. Book down.

In the end, you opened with your own projection. And how different really is it to see the narcissism where that isn't a useful frame than seeing sexism, racism, fascism, where those aren't useful frames?

And don't we in part identify such narcissism by the inappropriate use of categories, their value judgments, and subsequent projection of a pet topic where it doesn't belong?

 

[Bamspeedy]

It can be problematic.

But that spill was equal to 6 tipped over tankers.

 

[bernie14]

Twenty pages into Christopher Lasch I couldn't help but notice the theme:
"The problem of our times is how everyone is saying the world is going off a cliff. Now please read the next 300 pages to see how cultural narcissism is going to end our society and drive us off a cliff"

Well we can't be worsening that problem. Book down.

In the end, you opened with your own projection. And how different really is it to see the narcissism where that isn't a useful frame than seeing sexism, racism, fascism, where those aren't useful frames?

And don't we in part identify such narcissism by the inappropriate use of categories, their value judgments, and subsequent projection of a pet topic where it doesn't belong?

Well yes, after all, we all do continue to be works in progress and opinions are just that…