I found this really motivating and inspiring. Thanks for writing. I’ve always found the “great opportunity” framing of altruism stretched and not very compelling but I find this subtle reframing really powerful. I think the difference for me is the emphasis on the suffering of the drowning man and his family, whereas “great opportunity” framings typically emphasise how great it would be for YOU to be a hero and do something great. I prefer the appeal to compassion over ego.
I usually think more along Singerian obligation lines and this has led to unhealthy “morality as taxes” thought patterns. On reflection, I realise that I haven’t always thought about altruism in this way and I actually used to think about it in a much more wholehearted way. Somehow, I largely lost that wholehearted thinking. This post has reminded me why I originally cared about altruism and morality and helped me revert to wholehearted thinking, which feels very uplifting and freeing. I plan on revisiting this whenever I notice myself slipping back into “morality as taxes” thought patterns.
I found this really motivating and inspiring. Thanks for writing. I’ve always found the “great opportunity” framing of altruism stretched and not very compelling but I find this subtle reframing really powerful. I think the difference for me is the emphasis on the suffering of the drowning man and his family, whereas “great opportunity” framings typically emphasise how great it would be for YOU to be a hero and do something great. I prefer the appeal to compassion over ego.
I usually think more along Singerian obligation lines and this has led to unhealthy “morality as taxes” thought patterns. On reflection, I realise that I haven’t always thought about altruism in this way and I actually used to think about it in a much more wholehearted way. Somehow, I largely lost that wholehearted thinking. This post has reminded me why I originally cared about altruism and morality and helped me revert to wholehearted thinking, which feels very uplifting and freeing. I plan on revisiting this whenever I notice myself slipping back into “morality as taxes” thought patterns.