by Donald Finley

Created on: April 22, 2010

History is full of examples of selfless acts.  But before digging deeper into this topic, it’s appropriate to truly define what a selfless act is.  Selfless is defined by Merriam-Webster as “having no concern for self”, or “unselfish”.  Looking up “unselfish”, it says “not selfish”, or “generous”.  I believe there is some confusion here.

A selfless act can only be deemed so through the motivations of the actor.  The philanthropist who gives away millions of dollars may do great things, but if the motivation is to receive tax breaks, then the acts are not selfless, for the motivations carry a concern for self.  Although the philanthropist may be extremely generous, being so does not necessarily equate to selflessness. 

If one has no concern for self, then there must be a concern for another, or for others collectively.  This leads to the two kinds of people who perform selfless acts. 

First are those who completely disregard their own safety to attempt to save the lives of others as a duty.  Police, Firefighters, military, and others who put their own lives in danger to save another, all demonstrate selflessness in their acts.  A willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for another human being, even if driven by duty, is selfless.  Duty driven selflessness is no less selfless, for it involves a pre-meditated acceptance that when called upon, concern for self is pushed aside, and selflessness reigns supreme.  The shift from typical self-preservation into selflessness is seamless and instantaneous.  Many jobs are risky, but few involve duty-bound risk of life solely for the benefit of another.   To embrace that mindset, that life-choice, describes the greatness of mankind. 

Secondly are selfless acts performed on spur-of-the-moment instinctual reactions to circumstances.  Quite often, the actor doesn’t think before moving to rescue someone facing imminent death.  In many instances, there is no time for internal debate, no time to assess danger, and the selfless act comes from the gut, the inner core of one’s being.  The actor knows in his or her soul there is something bigger than the self, something more important, something worthy of the ultimate risk.  That person is a hero even before acting.  Their motivation for performing a selfless act?  They will have no idea.  They will only know they did what had to be done, it was not heroic in their minds, and they will shun praise and recognition.  Their act, to them, will have been what anyone in their circumstances would have done.  They will not understand the rarity of their selflessness because it is core to their identity.

In today’s world, where heroes are few and far between, recognize selfless acts.  They differ from courageous acts and acts of bravery.   They are not necessarily generous or kind.  The only common theme in every selfless act is simple:  from the perspective of the actor, it was necessary.

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