The Killers' lesson in altrusim

It's 12.20 am and I should be only just returning home from The Killers' concert, but Flowers' mother is withering and they could not come.

When this news broke, the two people I had upsold tickets to called me within five minutes, probably anxious that I would disappear into the night and leave them moneyless and concertless.

Yet even before they called, I knew I would return their money. I even drove to meet them at a central location to do so.

I continue to be surprised at my immediate honesty.

Was it out of altruism? I would like to think so, that I am a righteous man who would straighaway 'do the right thing' without thought of self benefit.

But I just read a chapter inspecting altrusim in 50 Big Ideas You Really Need To Know, which, rightly cynically, described two alternatives:

Psychological Egoism -- that I was motivated by concern for my own interest, and Ethical Egosism -- that my behaviour was guided by the concern that I should be ethical.

The first may just be true. The world we live in is ruthless -- in recent memeory my whole Europe budget got stolen in Heathrow. To avoid future similar catastrophies, I may have done this good deed to storehouse good karma to ward away similar future catastrophies.

The second might be scarily insidious-true: I acted altruistically because I thought I should act altruistically. My ex-religion has likely swung me that way. For somebody told me, for fifteen years, that I should be honest. Even though I havent been back to church in three years, this siren call is probably still ringing in my bones.

Looking closer, I can cancel out Psychological Egoism. I return lost mobile phones all the time and notify people who drop their money behind them. Despite all these things that I've done, bad deeds still wreak mischief on my life. Karma my ass.

My character is more guided by Ethical Egosism. Believe me natalie, I often act in a certain way because I feel I am obliged to do so. Whether this is a slavish attachment to dogma, or a positive legacy of my christian upbringing, I'm not sure.

What about true human altruism; can such an ideal exist purely?

My actions were probably borne of an amalgam of the two, despite my extended philosophical opposition against my christian upbringing. For reasons unknown, the latter sticks despite all intentions towards the former.

Don't pray for me now though! :p

PS: There are six Killers song titles in this post! Find them! Just for fun!