Land Dwellers, Just Don't Understand

[JusDreaming]

Yesterday we were shopping at Publix for groceries. Well they had Ice cream 2 for 1. The deal is that you must buy two to get one free. Well we don't have room or freezer capability to keep it frozen for long. So I figure if I am going to buy ice cream, I might as well get one free!!! And I have an idea what to do with the unused half gallon
So when we check out, I take the extra/free half gallon and give it to the person in the next isle. She was flabbergasted, I actually had to explain myself, as why I was giving it to her. But finally she accepted it and was amazed at our generosity.
In the cruising community this would happen and the person would be very appreciated but not surprised!!! It is just how cruisers are with each other, if you have extra stuff we share it

[David M]

Great story, it made me smile.

[whatever]

Originally Posted by David M

Great story, it made me smile.

Me, Too!

[ColdFusion]

That warmed the cockles of my heart

[senormechanico]

While in Mexico, we caught a 50" Dorado, filleted it, and we knew we couldn't fit all of it into our fridge, so we gave away at least half of it at the next anchorage that afternoon. S.O.P. for cruisers. What goes around...

Steve B.

[MarkJ]

Cruisers are nice people

[FrankZ]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Cruisers are nice people

You mean when they aren't trying to scare you?

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by FrankZ

You mean when they aren't trying to scare you?

Yep! We had drinks on a boat last night where we told stories and scared the crap outta each other!
Seem some guy was on his foredeck when the spinnaker pole detaches from the mast at the exact same moment his head is between the pole and the deck. So the pole hits him and does a little skinning job.

So now we all run out and buy rubber pole barin fenders?

Then there was the water spouts.....


Nah, just eat more ice cream

[barnakiel]

Depends. I found it that the further out the more 'sharing' the community becomes. Which makes a lot of sense. And as a general rule - the 'poorer' the cruiser, the more generous they are. Which makes no sense.

b.

[Starbuck]

Just for accuracy's sake, the deal was buy two, get one free, not two for one. That's the difference between a 50% discount on your total purchase, and a 33% discount. But the store still got double of your money than it might have, if you were of a mind to purchase only one half-gallon when you walked in.

Be that as it may, let me get this straight:

You bought two half-gallons of ice cream, which is all you can store, and got a third which you didn't pay for, but had no room to keep. It was going to go to waste in short order.

Then you gave away the free half-gallon to someone standing next to you.

This is a situation where your intention from the beginning is pivotal in determining whether or not this was an virtuous act. Here's the question that needs to be answered:

Did you plan to give the third container away when contemplating the sale, knowing you hadn't sufficient room, or did you only remember that after you had all three at the check-out counter?

If it was the former, you can be commended for blessing a stranger, though at no cost to you, which mitigates, but not entirely removes, the goodness of the act.

If the latter, no Brownie points for you: your greed (the motivation the sale was designed to tap into) got you into a fix, and you found a way to get rid of your problem after the store had your money. If that's the case, it wasn't about the stranger at all, but about you. Well, unless the woman in line behind you looked particularly needy for ice cream, which isn't likely, so it's probably safe to conclude that in the "giving" you were primarily benefiting yourself by solving a problem (the now softening third container) that your own short-sightedness got you into. You wound up looking generous, but that container cost you nothing; as a matter of fact, it was a burden to you to have it.

I don't know what your true motivations were in the beginning, so I can't say. Only you can. This could have been a slightly virtuous act; or, it could only have the appearance of virtue from the outside.

Fair Winds,
Jeff

I have a feeling I'll be piled on, but please, take a moment to consider the logic here first.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Starbuck

, take a moment to consider the logic here first.

You are right.

Do you overdesign when you are building something?

[JusDreaming]

Explanation for Jeff
First I was not looking for points, or slaps on the back or a free trip to heaven, just trying to be nice!!!!And thought I would share the story, nothing more.
But at Publix, if it is buy one get one free, and you only buy one, you do not get it at half price. And yes it was my intention to give the free one away when I picked the ice cream out. I even gave it some thought about which flavor most people like. And yes it cost me nothing, just a nice thought!! If a favor cost you nothing does it not count as an act of kindness in your book!! As far as which person I did pick one that looked more deserving than the others. She was in another isle completely
Again I was not looking for anything, I had an extra half gallon of ice cream and I gave it away, pretty simple concept
Jeff has anyone ever told you you may over analyze things?
"And that's all I have to say about that" Forrest Gump

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Starbuck

I don't know what your true motivations were in the beginning, so I can't say. Only you can. This could have been a slightly virtuous act; or, it could only have the appearance of virtue from the outside.

Yeah! I agree! You guys are promoting world obesity and should be pilloried.

You wilfully gave icecream to the skinniest person in the supermarket to get them addicted to sugar.

If you come around "Sea Life" and start handing out FREE icecream you just see what happens to you!!! (After you get killed in the rush) you will have to deal with me! And Nic too - Her "angry" face is very angry looking, even with icy dribbles on it. We will not be inflicted by your Western lifestyle! We throw our shoes in the direction of your freezer! We turn our backs on you as we hand milk our goats for morning coffee.


I am so upset I need to go back to bed.


Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Zzzzzzzzzz
*Lick*

[tomdidit]

JustDreaming,

Great story, great intentions, nice outcome.

Starbuck,

Everything does not have to be about logic! Some of the best outcomes have nothing to do with logic! This from someone that used to think that logic ruled.

[Starbuck]

Denny (or Diane), he say:
…yes it was my intention to give the free one away when I picked the ice cream out.

I'm completely satisfied by your answer. As I said, I couldn't judge from the outside without knowing your motivations. Certainly seemed a good thing, and now, I agree it was.

If a favor cost you nothing does it not count as an act of kindness in your book.

Not quite so binary. If it cost me nothing, it is a virtuous act, but it is not as virtuous an act than if it cost me dearly. Giving out of my surplus is good; giving out of my penury is better, even though the gift might be smaller, precisely because of the personal cost involved.

Most ethical thinkers would say that motivation makes a difference. Well, unless they're ulitilarian, but by ignoring intentions, they wind up justifying things that would make most of us blanch.

As for the recipient of your largess, I can't determine whether nor not someone is deserving just by looking at him. That would involve arbitrarily ascribing a status to him that might not be justified at all. Deserve suggests a just recompense for actions, or fitting regard based on achieved status or inherent worth. Put simply, one must do something to be deserving of a reward or punishment.

This isn't really over-analyzing: it's simple philosophy 101 stuff, with some sociology thrown in. See what all that college tuition as done to me?!

Maybe I'm hanging around Gord too much?

I'm great at parties, too! lol