What's My Motivation?

Every so often I'll come up with a subject to blog about that really strikes me, but that I continuously shove to the wayside due to the fact that deep down I think either it requires some sort of definitive existential answer that I don't have, or touches a profundity that is probably beyond my full comprehension. Or both. In either case, it tends to cause me to post in run-on sentences. And anytime you see me doing that, you can be assured I'm probably gearing up for something poignant, or at very least, entertaining as you watch my words squirm in their seats like a teenager watching a nude scene with his girlfriend's parents in the room.

This is one of those times, if you hadn't guessed. And the subject at hand is as simple as motivation, and as profound as good and evil. In short, what truly motivates us to do good things, and is it possible to commit a COMPLETELY selfless act? I'm talking, not even the joy of a good deed done, selfless.

The question first made itself known to me some years ago, on the pages of the venerable Penny Arcade. Generally speaking, Gabe and Tycho, the creators of Penny Arcade, need no introduction in this medium, but just in case, Penny Arcade is one of the most popular, and earliest successful webcomics, known best for their biting satire of the video game industry, done deftly with vivid charicatures and top shelf turn of phrase. If words were liquor, Tycho Brahe would be a three tier fountain of Stolichnaya, from which his readers slake their thirsts lustily, thrice weekly.

In any case, each Christmas the lads at PA have gone to great lengths to organize a toy/game drive called Child's Play to help get toys and games into the hands of underprivileged kids. The first year they did this, the gaming industry was still mired in the Jack Thompson, Columbine witch hunt days, and for two die hard gamers to raise not a small chunk of change, but thousands, for kids was huge, not only for the children in question, but as a counter to the negative and unwarranted perceptions that this corner of the entertainment industry had amassed, as its youngest sibling (like movies before it, and even radio before that. Gotta have something to blame, after all, right?).

So, it was with great curiosity that one of the first responses I saw to this charitable act was not praise, but bitterness. Something to the tune of, "Big deal. Don't pretend this is a selfless act, you did it to get off on the idea of doing something good, and because of the publicity. It's meaningless." I'm paraphrasing of course, out of laziness mostly. But the spirit of the message is intact, I assure you. And since that day, I've seen this very same argument crop up more and more in response to people's acts of charity.

There is this odd perception in our society that a good deed is not truly good unless it is somehow completely devoid of ulterior motive. Ulterior in this case meaning anything other than the deed itself. Meaning, helping an old woman across the street is right out if you were needing to cross the street yourself. I find this concept both concerning and fascinating from a social perspective. Usually such sentiments are reserved for big companies (erroneously so, in my opinion, but more on that later) but we've really devolved to the level of self righteous insecurity that we can't even allow a person a sense of accomplishment for doing something good in this world? It's essentially the diametric opposite of Machiavellianism. It is the means justifying the ends. How could anyone be embittered towards that?

The answer, after much meditating, fasting and ashen covered hand wringing, I've decided comes down to very human programming. At our core, we are motivated by two things: pursuit of pleasure, and avoidance of pain. But on a socio-genetic level, you could express our motivations as A) Survival and B) Legacy.

I believe firmly that these two concepts influence our every social decision, from making fun of someone who derives joy from something we don't understand (like LARPing, or The Hills) to simply saying hello to a stranger.

Survival is of course not wanting to die at any given moment during the day. Legacy is the need to ensure that something of our essence carries on either genetically through mating, or (more recently, milennia wise) through ideas, concepts or history. Sometimes these two things are at odds, as sticking our neck out and saying "I exist!" isn't always conducive to survival when there's a universal lawnmower buzzing around and we're all blades of grass. But we're pushed by both concepts nonetheless.

Survival is pretty obvious. Stay alive. But the legacy motivations tend to be boiled down to something nearly as simple. Be better than those around you. And people will seek any and every means to do so, whether it be in vanity (working out, body enhancement) intellect, charisma, or any other measure of merit, regardless of whether or not these measures are external or completely kept to ourselves. Some do this through competitive needs, driven to outstrip their opponents (the rest of humanity). Some simply engage in a campaign of constant self improvement, figuring the chips will fall where they may. Some try to drag everyone around them down to their level, and step on their heads. Those that subscribe to the third technique are the same people that find a reason for outrage at charity.

When it comes right down to it, who really cares what other motivations a person, organization, or mysterious all knowing entity has for doing a good deed, so long as the weight of that deed outweighs any potential negative effect of the ulterior. What harm is there in positive pride, or publicity, when lives are saved or improved? We're not talking saving orphans as a cover for a drug ring here. Just simple, universal relish in a job well done. And yeah, deep down we're tugging that string that makes us feel just a little better than those around us, even if we won't admit it freely. But what does that have to do with you? Does it make YOU feel not as good? Really, those feelings are just that: feelings. Intangible. Ethereal. Noncorporeal. It's the act itself that holds the real weight.

At the end of the day, these faceless corporations that so many of us rail against, whether "selfless" or not, are a force for good. They have the money, the power and the influence to make a positive difference in this world. But they are at their core, a machine, that is incapable of action unless it is connected to profit, which in turn provides capitol that keeps people employed and the machine in motion. It is the survival entwined with the legacy once more. And in the end, isn't it a better world where corporations and people do good deeds intertwined with selfish motives, than a world in which no good deeds are done at all?

If your answer is no, you might need to reevaluate your own level of selflessness before condemning it in others.

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