Doing What You Love Is The Best Way To Contribute Vs. Effective Altruism

[Gavalanche]

I'm wondering if anyone can elaborate on the idea that "doing what you love to do is the best way to contribute to the world / help the world" as opposed to doing something that would help people in a more "standard" / direct way.

I've come across this idea a lot from Actualized.org and on some level believe it's probably true, but can't quite logically understand it.

For a lot of my passions I don't really see how indulging in them / mastering them could help do more good in the world than say, helping people in severely impoverished countries through charitable works / healthcare etc. For example, me dedicating my time to mastering playing the guitar vs. working a high paying job and giving shitloads of money to a proven effective charity.

I've been reading up on the Effective Altruism movement and it's really got me thinking along these lines. Interesting book so far: https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Good-Better-Effective-Altruism/dp/1592409660

It's likely my own hang up, that I feel inherently guilty for being born in a privileged part of the world and can't indulge my own passions and pleasures when there's so much suffering in the world. Looking for any insights! Thanks!

[ChimpBrain]

I give to Give Well, Will's charity, as well as Cool Earth another one he recommends. I do it because I make decent money and don't spend my time volunteering or anything locally. I think I make a bigger difference by donating than I could "in real life", but I don't get the same kind of reward in the form of increased happiness, gratitude, contentment, etc that I would if I were doing something to help people one on one. I don't imagine I'm telling you anything you don't already know here. 

[Trond]

@Gavalanche

Do what you love, sure. Why not? 

There's really no reason to not do that to better someone else's lives. Suffering is there. Suffering is everywhere. Most importantly your own. At the end of the day  you only have yourself to worry about. It mind sound grim and selfish, but its the truth. Depending on where your mind is in this spiritual development you will interpret this differently. But again, why shouldn't you do what you love? Just think about it for yourself. You'd just put yourself in a worse position. Putting on the mask of being an altruistic person won't make you an altruistic person. Its all the same mask, the mask of the ego.

Sure, I see your dilemma, if paying guitar is something you love. How can that help the poor on the other side of the world. Well, what if you cultivated your guitar talent so much that you got a big audience, say on YouTube for example. You got so famous you were able to do with your money whatever you wanted. Then, you could help the poor if you still wanted to. 

 

[Leo Gura]

7 hours ago, Gavalanche said:

me dedicating my time to mastering playing the guitar vs. working a high paying job and giving shitloads of money to a proven effective charity.

You will do more good with the guitar than with second option.

Because the issue is never material. It's psychological and ultimately spiritual.

People don't need your money, they need your passion, love, and happiness.

If you earn shitloads of money and give it away to charity, you will actually contribute evil to the world. Because you're disconnected from yourself. When you're disconnected from yourself, you're a devil, no matter how much money you give to charity.

Once you've betrayed yourself, you will certainly betray others. Because your true sin was giving into ego, giving into fear. That's the reason you betrayed yourself in the first place, and that pattern will only continue.

Besides which, the world is perfect as it is, and doesn't need you to fix it. There is nothing you can do to make the world better. It's already perfect. So relax and follow your bliss.

Your guilt is contributing to the suffering of the world. Guilt is a low-consciousness motivation with leads to evil. So do the world a favor and be happy, if you dare.

How's that for a counter-intuitive move?

[Psychonaut]

I have to fully agree with Leo. Happiness is not found in material. We in the west are so focused on material things that we think the people in Africa are unhappy. We project ourselves onto them. If we would be in their position we would be quite unhappy. But that is not because we wouldn't have anything. It's just our mind that is fucked. 

I have been to South Africa and lots of people live in what we would call slums. Tbh they are still happier than most of us. They have nothing. But for them its fine and as long as people are not starving to death I don't really see a problem. Africa has many many challenges, mainly education and other nations that are intruding in the belief that they are "helping". 

In my opinion if you liberate yourself and become so radiant that you bring joy to the people in your direct vicinity you have already fulfilled your duty. The only thing we have to do in this world is to liberate ourselves, that's it.

[AlwaysBeNice]

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

People don't need your money, they need your passion, love, and happiness.

If you earn shitloads of money and give it away to charity, you will actually contribute evil to the world. Because you're disconnected from yourself. When you're disconnected from yourself, you're a devil, no matter how much money you give to charity.

This is ridiculous.

You mean that if you avoid self love by the act of giving makes you a 'devil' (a very unnecessary extreme noun to use), but choosing to help others selflessly is an act of connectivity itself, whether you are completely aligned otherwise or not, it is a helpful step in the right direction.

[Nahm]

I do both. I suggest you try that. 

 

If you increase the sophistication and complexity of your mind by learning guitar, you can help people in ways you can't think of right now. Do all of it for the experience. If you put the time in and learn some classical, I suggest something like Caprice 24 by Niccolo Paganini, you'll be connecting to the everything more deeply and then you'll not only have more clarity in what to do and how to do it, you'll also be more energy to do it with. Symbiosis and reciprocity are high energy. 

 

 

Edited February 16, 2017 by Nahm

[Leo Gura]

@AlwaysBeNice Choosing to help others is one of the ego's favorite ways to strengthen itself. It often leads to devilry.

True selflessness is a tricky thing. You're not gonna be able to fake it by having lots of money or giving away lots of stuff.

The goal to become happy will actually lead to true selflessness, because you cannot be happy so long as you're a self.

Devil = self

Make no mistake, you are the devil. The devil is one who acts like he is God. And that's your current situation.

[Nahm]

Connection is a virtue and can contribute to loss of ego. 

[Key Elements]

14 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

People don't need your money, they need your passion, love, and happiness.

This part is interesting. I would like to share my thoughts on it. If you ever tried to help someone in need, like maybe perhaps the person is on welfare for long term, giving the person more money won't help. There's a saying we all know, "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for life." This saying is true, but it's not easy to teach someone to fish. The person may not be open to it and is too dependent on welfare and can't see the way you present the solution if you just told him directly. You would have to set an example, and that too is challenging. Maybe you can set an example by showing your website indirectly or something creative that you achieved in life, but this has to be brought up carefully. The person may not be willing to listen if you bring it up at the wrong time or the wrong way to him. That's why some people stay dependent on one way of life throughout life. There's only so much you can do, no matter how much money you have. At least when you try to help someone by setting an example by your actions, you plant a seed in the person's mind that may one day benefit him if he decides to take action.

Edited February 16, 2017 by Key Elements

[Gavalanche]

Thanks for the wise words all! Definitely given me some things to go and chew on.

I think my current motivations are mix of things; some stemming from authentically wanting to help, some from guilt and probably a lot from my ego trying to strengthen itself through "being good".

I'm becoming more aware of how much guilt I seem to have. I'm not sure where it's all coming from, but it seems to unconsciously whisper that it's somehow selfish to pursue my passions for their own sake, like they aren't grandiose enough or won't help anyone. Obviously this argument has a lot of holes in it, so hopefully as awareness grows this will start to unravel further.

P.S.  I might have to up my guitar game from playing Final Fantasy X songs, to get to that Caprice level!  Thanks for the link!

[Gavalanche]

18 hours ago, Psychonaut said:

Happiness is not found in material. We in the west are so focused on material things that we think the people in Africa are unhappy. We project ourselves onto them. If we would be in their position we would be quite unhappy. But that is not because we wouldn't have anything. It's just our mind that is fucked. 

I have been to South Africa and lots of people live in what we would call slums. Tbh they are still happier than most of us. They have nothing. But for them its fine and as long as people are not starving to death I don't really see a problem. Africa has many many challenges, mainly education and other nations that are intruding in the belief that they are "helping". 

Yeah, it's more about: if I have the means, then maybe using some money to aid charities in alleviating starvation and supplying medicine for easily curable health issues, that I was thinking about, as opposed to thinking everyone in Africa is unhappy because they don't have all the stuff we have. 

It's a good point though - there are some depressing stories about people who try to "help" and actually end up making things worse

[Samuel Garcia]

Why would my self matter when I am giving in lots of money to a charity which contributes to helping refugees escape from a war zone, giving orphans an education, or helping with emergency responses to natural disasters? Surely the act of helping those is need is what matters, not the devil/self? Compare doing nothing vs. actively helping these people who are suffering. There are bigger things we are dealing with then the self, right? 

 

When the majority of people raise money say for example for special events like Comic Relief, is this a devilish act? Partly yes, but it would be more devilish to do nothing.

 

On 2/16/2017 at 8:25 AM, Leo Gura said:

People don't need your money, they need your passion, love, and happiness.

 

How would my passion, love and happiness help someone on the other side of the world in a war zone?  On an individual scale, it won't matter and sending money to help with supplies would be more loving than doing nothing for those people. Perhaps only the people with direct interaction or indirectly even could benefit from love and passion.