4/24/06, my world literature II class: Yesterday at the post office I encountered a very real and very
intense practice in our culture. As I entered the building to buy some stamps, a woman coming out held the
door open for me. I walked through it without saying anything. On her way out, the woman yelled "you're
welcome," clearly frustrated that I did not thank her for holding the door open for me. I admit I did feel
guilty for being rude enough not to thank her for her kindness. This got me wondering, though. Why did the
woman hold the door open? Was she happy simply to help me out by saving me the trouble of opening to door
myself? Or did she really do it so that I would thank her, validating her good deed? My guess is the latter.
To truly be a good deed, people should derive satisfaction from the deed itself and the happiness that it
produces in others, not from the deed's recognition.
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