Thursday, January 7, 2010

Is a charitable act still a charitable act if my motivations are selfish?

I wonder sometimes how you judge a charitable act to be charitable.  In other words if I perform an act of charity and good comes of it then the world is a better place.  However, what if my motivations were self-centered or my motivations were to gain notoriety, fame, ego gratification, gain some reward,etc.?  Does the act still constitute a charitable act?  Am I demonstrating charity?

I have to state "yes" for the recipient and "no" for myself.  I am starting to realize that charity is a two way street.  Not only does the recipient benefit, but you benefit as well from the act in many different ways. 

I argue that if the intention is to gratify ego/pride or gain status/reward based, then we do not really receive the benefit of the action.  However, if the act was self-less, or given in the spirit of honestly trying to benefit the recipient then I would state that that is a true act of charity.