Does the Intention Behind a Good Deed Denounce the Action Being Done?
I’m sitting at Panera, having a lovely lunch study date with my younger sister.
I check my phone and am surprised by a text from my friend telling me, “If I’m at Panera, I should get their spring tulip cookie.” I’m not much of a sugar cookie person myself, but I realize if she texted me saying I should get one, then she probably loves them. As a plan brews in my head, I text her asking what she’s up to. To that, I received a selfie of her at work, and we all know that working a minimum-wage job at an ice cream shop during 40-degree weather isn’t very enjoyable. The plan continues brewing until I look over at my sister and say, “What if we stopped by and visited [said friend] at work? We could get her the infamous Panera Charged Lemonades and spring tulip cookie and make her day.” I’m met with an ecstatic reaction from my sister, and so the secret plan becomes a reality.
Once we’ve finished up our lunches, we make the quick drive over to her work, which is conveniently on our way home.
As we walk up to the door of the ice cream shop, we’re met with a jaw-dropping look from our friend. She’s surprised why we’re here until we hold up the goods we brought for her. With that, we’re met with a tight group hug and an extra-smiley friend. She says she’s incredibly grateful and that we 100% made her day. Even after we left and went home, she sent an additional text saying how thankful she was for our little act of kindness.
Now to the regular eye, this would seem genuine, kind, and the sign of a lovely friendship, but what about my side of the good deed?
I felt loved, validated in my friendship, and good about myself for drumming up this plan. So now, have I received something in exchange for doing this good deed? Yes, I definitely have. Does that denounce the good deed that I’ve done since it could now have been done somewhat selfishly? No, I don’t think so.
Let’s define what a good deed is first. A deed is something that is done, and good means pleasant or enjoyable. (Collins Dictionary) So put those together, you have a good deed being something pleasant that is done. In this situation, the good deed benefits both parties, which is often true for all good deeds. If it benefits both sides, does it matter that the person doing the good deed’s intentions could have been selfish? The good deed is still getting done, so who cares about the intentions?
Thus, begins the long-debated discussion of good deeds and the altruism behind them.
The importance of doing good deeds or random acts of kindness has always been an encouraged phenomenon, but the debate of whether the intent behind these actions matters hasn’t held the spotlight for nearly as long.
Let’s look at community service hours as an example. Schools will often require students to have a minimum number of community service hours as a graduation requirement. This concept was primarily made to encourage students to get involved in their communities, learn new skills, and gain a sense of responsibility. However, are these lessons lost when it goes from genuine volunteering to forced volunteering? In an article from Junior Scholastic, Ellison O’Grady, a 15-year-old student from Bay Head, New Jersey, says, “Adding community service to teens’ already crowded schedules is the wrong way to go. It makes something as important and rewarding as volunteering feel like a chore.” (Wilmore) To have it be a requirement means it’s one more thing added to students’ schedules, and all of the sudden, it turns into a chore where their hearts are no longer in it. Still, if it was made optional and now up to the students’ morality, would they take it upon themselves to participate in community service and pay it forward?
Despite this, if we changed our mindset from doing good deeds to receive recognition or to fulfill a requirement, then the genuineness in the acts would shine through. Actions performed with the power of intention benefit from our full energy. Words and actions from our conscious intention can engage others in our vision and display our altruism.
Another way people benefit from good deeds and sometimes have multiple intentions for doing a good deed is if they donate to charity to get a tax break. This is often a loophole that many billionaires or businesses will do so that they’re spending less money on their taxes. For example, Bill Gates receives lots of praise and recognition because of how much he donates to charity, but he is probably doing it partly because of his tax break, which is seemingly how the rich get richer. In a The Nation article written by Tim Schwab, a journalist who has done extensive investigations into the Gates Foundation, he says, “By Bill and Melinda Gates’s estimations, they have seen an 11 percent tax savings on their $36 billion in charitable donations through 2018, resulting in around $4 billion in avoided taxes.” (Schwab) This tax money that Gates avoided paying could have gone towards a local school, hospital, or the sidewalks you walk on. Now, this is not to say that Bill Gates does not care about the communities he’s donating to or the personal fulfillment he feels after he makes his contributions, but it goes to show how a good deed or charitable act is not always one-sided.
If it’s posted on social media, does it look like a photo opportunity where they want to grow their platform? Is it someone just trying to fulfill a community service requirement? Is it done as something to add to their resume or college application? Where do we draw the line between selfless and personal gain intentions?
This is up to your own personal morality. And so, next time you find yourself doing a good deed or helping your community, be sure to have genuine intentions so you can put your best effort into the service you’re offering and make the world a better place.
Works Cited
“Bill Gates Gives to the Rich (Including Himself).” The Nation, 17 Mar. 2020, www.thenation.com/article/society/bill-gates-foundation-philanthropy/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
“Definition of Good Deed.” Collinsdictionary.com, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, 15 Apr. 2023, www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/good-deed. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
“Good Character and Good Deeds.” Daily Stoic, 15 Nov. 2021, https://dailystoic.com/good-character-and-good-deeds/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
“Should You Have to Do Community Service?” Scholastic.com, Junior Scholastic, 2019, https://junior.scholastic.com/issues/2019-20/111119/should-you-have-to-do-community-service.html?language=english. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
