Today you, tomorrow me

Again, like most discussions on HN these days, the arguments seem to be turning towards mistaking general, rule-of-thumb kinda anecdotal advice as gospel truth and then trying to beat it into a provably correct or provably incorrect corner. Why not take it with a grain, or thimbleful (per taste), of salt and then giving it a shot in real life (IRL?)? If you really disagree so strongly then why not write the underlying reason(s) for your view(s)? Perhaps that would make for more interesting reading!

Now before you take it as a rebuttal, let me start by saying the reason why I agree with edw519's response to the OP is borne of a basic human instinct that people a generally good. I like to believe that and would like to continue doing so. However, I have run into a fair share of douches and vampires who have made me want to reverse my viewpoint. Yet again, there have been many selfless acts from strangers, both big and small, to continue warrant giving humanity in general the benefit of doubt.

In the end, I keep paraphrasing Lester Burnham's thoughts: You cannot stay mad at life for too long. Every something happens that makes you hate it, the next moment it will do something that makes you love with it all over again. Damn! I guess I am just another die-hard optimist. :-)

The ulterior motive of "rejection therapy" doesn't really vibe well with me.

I know it's too late in this article's life for this comment to be read by many people, but I just wanted to add for the record that I think at least some of the aversion to helping people comes from the fear mongering of the media and some parts of the government. When everyone could be a terrorist, anything out of the ordinary is terrifying.

Fortunately it isn't always like that; for example, when my rear-wheel-drive car's traction control failed during a blizzard (due to being turned off for a brief second as a foolish experiment), and I found myself stuck off the side of a rural road, at least six different people stopped to ask if I needed help before my tow arrived, one of them even getting out of her car.

Having read the story and read a lot of the posts and discussion in this thread, a few thoughts come to mind:

1) I once had a flat tire that a homeless person offered to change. Yes, he was hoping to make a few bucks. I was still very ill at the time and desperately needed to get something to eat. Having him change it meant it got done faster than if I had tried to call someone, which mattered because every minute counts when my blood sugar is low. We talked while he worked and I found out he had been staying in a cheap dive of a hotel and was trying to come up with enough to sleep there that night instead of the streets. I gave him $60. I later found out it would have cost less to call someone. I didn't care. It was worth it to me to get to an eatery a few minutes faster. My blood sugar was low and I was really in crisis. I had a "middle class" lifestyle but in some sense was in no less need than the homeless man.

2) I think the whole generosity thing is typical of successful business people because creating something of value is what makes them successful. "Business people" who are little more than con artists and are doing their best to separate you from your money without really creating something of value often land in jail or just go out of business when folks realize it isn't worth what they spent. It isn't always obvious in the short run, but in the long run creating something of real value is the only way to stay in business and make money. It seems to be counterintuitive to many, yet "pay it forward" and similar philosophies are rooted in that same idea/value/orientation of doing something of real value in the world.

3) I tend to live by the idea that if you want to live in a better world, the best way to make sure you do is roll your sleeves up and get to work on it. So in some sense, I am generous to other people out of selfishness, though I can't quite think how to explain that.

"Hoy por tí, mañana por mí" is about empathy, not about literally expecting future reciprocation. In more practical terms, it's a polite way to refuse being rewarded for something done out of kindness.