Giving With An Expectation Of Profit – Hypocrisy In Disguise

" Almost every sinful action ever committed can be traced back to a selfish motive. It is a trait we hate in other people but justify in ourselves. "
― Stephen Kendrick

It’s common knowledge that giving with expecting in return defeats the whole purpose of the act of kindness. (Pretty sure too that at this point, we shouldn’t even label it kindness) Yet that still doesn’t stop human beings from engaging in this not so ethical behavior.

What’s interesting to me is the fact that upon receiving kind gestures, a majority of individuals feels compelled to reciprocate. For some, the thought of being in this position is very uncomfortable. We don’t want to seem as selfish, do we? Or that the relationship we share with this person is one sided only, right? Yet feeling that way alarms us of a feeling of insecurity locked within ourselves.

We are insecure of the way by which the giver will perceive us. Or perhaps insecure to come off as ungrateful. But all these thoughts and fears have nothing to do with the kind deeds that we have been the recipient of, but rather have everything to do with the way we feel about ourselves.

To give while expecting screams conditional love in my books. When we give as a way to get something out of that giving – we aren’t pursuing kindness, we’re pursuing self-satisfaction. Usually, people who choose to display kindness evaluate the costs and the benefits of the kind gesture they’re about to do. Naturally, if the cost outweighs the benefit, one may be less likely to go on with his plan of kindness. In contrast, if there’s more to gain than to lose out of doing it, it is much more appealing for someone to follow through with their kind deed.

What fascinates me the most about human nature is the mysterious ways by which our minds operate. Even our kindest of actions are tinted with a dose of selfishness. After all, if being nice was to make us feel like a piece of shit afterwards, would we really choose to be kind in the first place? By giving someone a "reward" , the act itself sparks the reward center of our brain, hence why we feel good af upon being a good Samaritan.

The truth is that some people are kind – but (always one when conditional love is in the house) with an agenda. Welcome to the secret world of ulterior motives. On the surface, I appear as kind and genuine as you can get. Underneath my mask, I’m one dishonest freak operating out of the fuel of hypocrisy. And so they give – but with a very special intent in mind. The moment they sense that their plan may be a moment away from collapsing, they pull away. No time to lose when you work around the clock and when being kind is only a means to one of your disgusting and selfish ends.