I'm gettig all kinds of confusing messages off this thread now...

We should ignore what goes on around the world, we shouldn't feel bad about bad events, you shouldn't feel good about volunteering...

Perhaps i'm getting this completely wrong, (and I probably am) but it seems like you're saying "Go ahead, do good and enjoy life, provided you don't feel good about enjoying it and doing good."

No, the point was if you are going to volunteer and do good things, do it for others, not solely to convince yourself that you're a good person. And the point about the news was that mainstream news on TV likes to twist stories for emotional appeal: something we learn about in advertising classes, if you've ever taken one.

Well I can't honestly say that I have ever taken an advertising class, but yes I do understand that virtually every consumable is engineered to make you feel depressed, self-concious, sub-par and all that, so that you go out and try to fill that unfillable hole with what they tell you to, what they want you to...

Anyway, I digress...

What I do ask though, is this... What if volunteering is something you feel you need to do in order to make yourself feel like you've done something good, to make you feel like you have some kind of purpose, to make you feel good about living life, instead of wasting it on the meaningless pursuit of money an posessions... Is that a bad thing? I mean, you're feeling better in yourself about it, following your own path and doing good to the world and it's people.
I don't see how that could be non-beneficial to anyone.

I never said that was not beneficial! Of course that would be good for everyone involved. I'm sorry if I'm being confusing. I was just pointing out the paradox of charity.

This winter I plan on helping at a shelter or something. But I realize how doing that is more for improving myself rather than helping people. I don't really know if there is an alternative. I guess genuinely caring for the people would be ideal, and that's what I hope to achieve eventually.

Don't worry, it's probably me being confused more than you doing the confusing, so to speak...

I understand what you're saying now, and yes, unfortunately (especially if you decide to volunteer abroad and help the parts that are needed just as much, perhaps even moreso) it would be extremely difficult to build up a relationship with the people you wish to help - unless you somehow become to live with them - which is extremely unlikely. That's not to say you don't have to, or won't care at the time, but what other way is there other than that, really?

Temporarily is the only viable way.

Yeah, unless you're Matt Damon and have loads of money to support your philanthropy, temporary work is usually the most viable way to help others. It's still good work though.

The point I was making got a little distorted. The point was, don't make yourself feel bad in order to satisfy a self image that requires you to feel bad in order to be a good person. There are enough times when feeling bad will occur naturally without seeking them out.

And volunteer all you want! If I'm the homeless person or animal or whatever that gets helped by your volunteering, you think I care why you're doing it? The benefit you get from volunteering will be greater if you don't have an strings attached to the experience, but aside from that, I can't think of a catch at the moment.

Haha - this got really philosophical now. I gues as I understand it, the point was that however an individual feels about something depends highly on the individual and not merely on the situation. Situation influences obviously the personal perception but they can differ. So you can feel good about your charity work and that is your true motivation and another person profits from that work and feels good, too. Thats a win-win. Every motivation to do anything is based on feeling better by it, isn't it? Doing anything without feeling in some way better by doing so would be perceived as depressing, opressive and negative to a degree (this includes jobs that dont make you happy).
Of course doing charity to feel better and actually making things worse would be quite a stupid thing, but I guess that happens a lot, too.

it being the same time of year that i saw avatar last year, kinda feel like the depression is coming back a little. and i miss going to see it in imax everyday :(. however the collectors dvd does help a little.

Definitely... I just find it harder to bring myself 'back' afterwards now though. In a way, it's a good thing too.

I find that the depression comes and goes, but watching the movie and especially for me, meditating in the woods seems to work the best.

Wood is always a good idea, its peaceful and you can clear up your head always, something i want to do again often in summer.

I agree. Out in the woods, far away from cars and smokestacks.. that's where one can think without distractions. :)

Yeah, I remember the first few days after watching it I had an intense desire to go outside...I had to open my window in my room to get some fresh air in too, so the woods are definitely a great place.

I really hate being skyperson :(
The futility of everything I do really annoys me, because I know that nothing's going to change in the end.

I still dream of Pandora, of home. There is nothing on Earth for me, and skypeople just make me sad. I'm glad that there are people here who I can talk to, but I don't have anyone AFK, and every time I see Neytiri, I am reminded of that. Yet another thing the Na'vi don't have to worry about like humans :(

I don't care about possibility, but I should be on Pandora, and Earth just isn't home. It IS a dying world, thanks to people who don't care, and everyone just goes chasing stupid things all the time. I hate university, I have no clue about the future, I hate doing the only thing I'm good at, and the only way I feel alive is when I can escape, only for 3 hours at a time :'(