I have been reading a book called Being Good. It is a ethics book in its simplest form(s). I started to realize that maybe motivation is lead out of an ethical drive which is based in and around my beliefs. But what happens when my beliefs change, which seem to happen more and more regularly. I don't have a core belief system I don't think. What DO I believe? Maybe knowing what I believe will help me understand what my motivations are. Maybe I'll never be able to pin down this idea, but I will keep trying. Something drives me, us. Are we in control of our motivations or do they control us. I want to find out what a pure motive is. Does it exist? I was thinking the other day that no matter what I did, the end result was self-serving. Is that all there is? Self-serving actions. Some will say that they do what they do because they love others. But DO they? Are they doing it to hope for a return? Some may say, and in fact I've said at one time, that I am doing what I do out of commitment, love, etc. of/for God, but isn't this also self-serving. I've heard pastors say that they are looking forward to the day when they stand before the Lord and He commends them with, Well done! Isn't that self-serving? Are there any truly non self-serving acts?
Still searching....
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Do you think maybe that "pure motives" are an illusion? Maybe the best we can strive for is to be as selfless as possible but realize that we may always have a personal stake in our actions no matter how "pure" our motives may seem. For example, even if we unconsciously hope for recognition or even thanks for what we do, our motivation is no longer selfless. Even if we act our of religious devotion to "please God," aren't we trying to gain favor with a higher power in hope of escaping judgement or obtaining favor or rewards?
I wonder if maybe we shouldn't try to discover our motivations as much as decide them. Regardless of whether our motivations are selfish, good, or bad, we can choose which values we hold and act on behalf of those values. Isn't the end result more important than the initial motivation? Whether we inherit our values, devolve, or evolve into them, it seems that the most important measure of motivation is action. The values that have become most important to me personally over the last two years have been truth and beauty, but I'm still working to get them to show up in my actions. Just thinking out loud.
I agree with you on the "pure motive" myth. Maybe it doesn't exist. And I agree that maybe the best we can hope for is to act on what we believe is good and right. I am going to continue down this road of exploring the legend of pure motives, but you have given me a moment of pause, is it out there?
Since leaving my first comment about choosing our motivations rather than trying to discover them, I have stumbled down the rabbit hole of quantum mechanics even further. In the process I've been learning about The Power of Intention, the title of a book by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I first heard about the concept from Dr. Joseph Dispenza when he talks about "creating your day" first thing in the morning. I admit that a lot of it sounds a bit like "New Age" ideas, which are greatly feared by evangelicals, but the funny thing is they make sense on both a scientific and practical level. Perhaps as much can be learned from being open minded as by being intentional in our actions. I recommend checking out both authors and What the Bleep Do We Know!? movies and book. It's a trip down the rabbit hole that is a journey of self-discovery about what motivates us and what could motivate us.
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