A long while ago, I was reading an article online that said that if you help someone, you’d feel better. I wanted to test that out. I didn’t want them to thank me because then it would be the thanks that made me feel better, not the doing of the thing.
Just at that time, the roads were being paved and the pavers had dumped a bunch of gravel on my neighbor’s driveway. I don’t know if my neighbor noticed it. I decided I would remove the gravel from the driveway and not tell my neighbor. (It wasn’t the kind of gravel that anyone could use. It had tar on it.)
It would be helping without the thanks.
Of course then I didn’t know what to do with the gravel. My neighbor never knew about it. I didn’t feel better.
Would you help someone if you knew they wouldn’t thank you?
That statement isn’t all that it seems because both suffer from dementia and as anybody who in any way does anything for people with any form of dementia will know, you’re unlikely to get thanked for anything you do for them.
That’s most often because they either don’t know that you’ve done it or they can’t remember.
I know it’s not quite the same thing as you were asking, but still … other than that then yes I would and because as others have said, it’s just the right thing to do.
yeah, I’ve often put my neighbours bins in and they don’t know it’s me, they’ve never thanked us personally but I’m guessing they guessed its me because someone has brought my bins in too and I’m guessing it’s them LOL
If I saw a stranger struggling I would help, especially someone elderly, I couldn’t just walk past and I wouldn’t expect thanks, it would be nice if they did say thanks but still I’d help.
If some stranger helped me with anything I would certainly thank them, it’s a bit rude not to really.
Saying all that I don’t do good deeds for thanks, it just comes naturally really. I was brought up to be kind and I like to be just that.
Gosh B/scotch, you’re a kind lass. What a lovely thing to do - you deserved a medal shifting that lot, never mind thanks!
I must admit I’ve done a lot in the course of my life without receiving any thanks, which I don’t mind. It has always made me feel better, whether they thank me of not.
Having said that, if I’ve ever held a door open for someone and they don’t acknowledge the gesture, I think ‘well pardon me’ or ‘don’t mind me’ or ‘you ignorant barsteward’.
Yes I have helped a number of people through the years.
To my mind it costs nothing to help someone if you can, wether it’s a big or small help makes no difference.
I don’t expect thanks, but would hope someone would help me if I needed it.
That’s because you are a nice person!
I try to be and I hope/think my children did likewise.
A little tale I have probably related before. I liked white chocolate and I was eating one. My son asked for a piece. What could I say? He broke three pieces off and give two to his sisters.
I can’t see the thinking behind, would you help a stranger if you knew they wouldn’t thank you……confused .pauline.
I would help a stranger because that is what my heart / mind tells me to do…not because I want to be thanked for it, that sort of thinking doesn’t enter my mind.
A situation that can only be hypothetical because you couldn’t know if a stranger was going to say thanks until after the help was given, so give the help anyway. If no thanks was forthcoming, I wouldn’t regret having given the help.
