AIBU to think that people nowadays are selfish?

[JUstme123456778]

Just that...I got to the conclusion that people don’t care about other people.
If someone asks how you are they are not interested in an honest answer.
Unfortunately I honestly believe that people are only interested in their own well-being and nothing else.
They are not genuinely interested how your weekend was or how you are feeling, they don’t really care about the planet or about climate change...it’s all show off...

Sorry I don’t seem to find a genuine person ( apart from my mum and dad) that genuinely cares

@GiantPretzel why else are you doing it? You must get something out this volunteering. And of course you must be showing off in front of your friends.
Why volunteering in a prison?

@yoursarscasmlsdtipping yes I am...I admit I can be selfish and even self centred at times...I am aware of that and I think it’s in our human nature to be like this. That’s why i think we try hard to show how compassionate and caring we are however in reality we couldn’t care less

I don't think most people are like this. Maybe you're the common denominator.

JUstme, are you being deliberately obtuse? Do you honestly think people volunteer purely for the ^bragging rights’?

It must be exhausting continually thinking the worst of people.

Northerbird are you from Earth? 😂

Pretzel...why do you volunteer? Give me an insight in why exactly you are doing it! I want to understand your reasons

Fair enough. But then it's not people nowadays is it? It's always been like this to some extent or other and always will be.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by the from earth comment.

There's a saying along the lines of 'if you meet an arsehole, you've met an arsehole. If everyone you meet is an arsehole, maybe you're the arsehole'. Might be applicable. Especially given your attitude towards a PP who said they volunteer.

The idea that people are inherently selfish bastards has formed the basis for a lot of political philosophies for hundreds of years. It is nothing new.
I think your way of looking at the world is really depressing though. Yes, people do ‘good deeds’ for their own benefit as much as for others, but I don’t think this is a bad thing necessary-the outcome is the same. As for the point about the ‘little people’ being effectively powerless:
A) not in large numbers
B) you can’t really blame the little people for that

Maybe I am...I don’t call anyone names so maybe you should look in the mirror.

Northernbird previous message was for you

I didn't call anyone names. It's a well known saying. Possibly American and asshole instead of arsehole, but the meaning is the same.

No one has ever really cared. I mean look at history!! It doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the human race

Why so aggressive, OP? You clearly want to demonstrate that I volunteer for entirely selfish reasons, though I do find it difficult to see what self-aggrandising jollies I get from spending three unpaid hours a week reading with a twenty or thirty inmates in tracksuits.

Peopke do care. But you can't care about every damn thing.
People generally care about immediate family, close friends, their job and perhaps, if they have time, the homeless or reducing plastics or their kids football team or whatever. Everyone has only one head after All, doesn t take much to fill the average head.

If your friends genuinely don't care you are hanging around with the wrong people. But if you're moaning a bit too much They will retreat - not to be harsh but that's the reality. You can't stay someone's top priority for too long, there's too much else to worry about.

No not aggressive! Why reading with inmates Pretzel? You are volunteering to help people that did something against the law...therefore in prison. Why not volunteering to help children in need or for a worthy cause?

The thing is ...if you split people into don't care,pretend to care, care but there are other underlying reasons at play then ofc you'll end up believing everyone is selfish and no one cares. It's a self fulfilling prophecy and a pretty dark place to be.

People do suck, just not all of them and not all of the time.

You think helping people towards a future where they don't see criminality as their only option isn't a worthy cause?

I totally agree with OP. I get down sometimes and feel like this. No one seems to give a sh*t, drop you at the last minute, flaky. I feel it’s modern society that has done this as nowadays there are so many options for us to keep busy, not like back in the day when all you had was your landline phone no internet or text messages etc to keep you busy. It’s the modern world sadly

I’d say the problem is you OP. You sound like hard work... people will only tolerate so much negativity before they stop “caring”

7days I agree.i love my family and I’m lucky to have a beautiful family who truly cares and I care about them. I’m talking about friends...I seem to bump into people who only care if there’s something in for them.
It sucks when you trust someone you thought was a true friend and you get let down in a very nasty way

This is a strange thread. Not being absolutely fascinated by your colleague's weekend plans is not 'selfish''. And plenty of ppl do care about the environment but unfortunately they have limited power if govt won't do make the changes necessary.

Northernbird it may work with kids/teenagers in prison but I doubt it works with adults. People rarely change but teenagers still have a chance.

There is no such thing as a selfless act. We only have our own lens through which to view and experience life. Our own survival comes first as a primal instinct. Empathy comes later as we begin to learn to balance that against our own self interest. That is the nature of humanity.

Given that, is selfishness a bad thing? We're socialised to believe so, but ultimately, true selflessness would mean giving up your resources to the detriment of your own self, possibly jeopardising your own survival.

Try giving people- and yourself- space to be selfish sometimes. It's natural. You can view it as a bad thing if you want to, but that's your choice.

Well people do suck. You get over it and move and raise your standards and find less sucky ones. It's life.