Behind Every Act

Contrary to what many may tell you, no one does anything without some motivation. The sage listens to the words, but pays equal attention to what is not said.
~ Today's Daily Quote from The TaoWoods Center ~

Whenever someone tells me something they said or did is not their will but the will of their deity or some external power/force, I laugh (though not always out loud). The very idea that a god or a devil makes us do things we have no say in is just plain silly. As today's quote highlights and the field of psychology confirms, everything we say and do comes from some sort of personal motivation.

Our emotions are complex entities that we -- only partially -- understand. Most of us have great difficulty plumbing the depths of the bare surface, our consciousness, and this meager understanding doesn't even scratch the slightest edge of our subconscious.

Every human being has needs, desires, wants and fantasies. The manner in which we act and behave is a constant drive to satisfy these elements. We could no more cast each aside as we could decide we don't need air to breathe nor food to eat.

Even when we act in a way that appears selfless, there is almost always a selfish motivation behind it. For example, when a soldier falls on a hang grenade to save his buddies in the field, he is satisfying his desire to protect others, even if it means sacrificing his own life in the process! When a person gives something away that he/she values or cherishes, this serves the personal motivation of wanting to be generous and, possibly, desiring the plaudits for being "selfless".

Often times, people will do things that seem rather extreme for the above reason. Each of us craves status or being well thought of by others and this even applies to non-social creatures such as myself. Part of our own self-identity comes from the idea of the person we see reflected in other people's eyes. So, most of us try to behave or act in ways that merit a positive reflection.