There once was a time when I would have said that people are essentially good and will perform good deeds out of the kindness of their heart. For the most part, I still believe that way, as there are some people out there who will help somebody without any expectation of benefit or pay.

Sadly though, today's society is about the "me" attitude and "what am I going to get out of it". For examples, I will turn to some of our favorite TV shows. TV shows such as Intervention, Hoarders, and Home Make Over are such examples. Sure, the people involved are performing good deeds, but the tv shows are there because the producers realized they could make money off of it. These shows were't around 10 years ago even though the problems shown in the shows were. It's because there was no market for reality shows at the time.

I'm sure there have been times in everybody's life that they have done something for somebody with an underlying reason. I am not wiccan, but I have had several friends who are. They would always tell me that a good deed done with selfish or vindictive intentions is no good deed at all, no matter how good. I try to live my life as selfless as I can and I have thought of a way to determine if something that I am about to do is done with underlying intentions, mind you it's not foolproof, but it works for the most part.

When I am about to do something for other people, I take a step back, and think "what's in it for me?". If I cannot think of anything immediately, I do it without hesitation. If I come up with anything that will help somebody, but hurt somebody else or anything that will benefit me, I don't do it.