In theory that's correct, but in practice it becomes really gnarly to try and discern what actions hurt people and which don't, since the reach of effects can be incredibly hard to assess properly. An extreme example: a stupid thing done while drunk that still ends well might inspire someone else to try a similar feat later, leading to their death. It's hardly predictable, but it's still fair to say that your actions in part caused the other person's death.

Better safe than sorry, I say...

Yea, think of the calories of heat you could generate.

Marcello

Define worthless.

So considering this there are surely no worthless people at all.

When he chooses to do something of worth. Just like a dollar has no worth until you decide to spend it.

We don't do things like get drunk and jump off bridges. When my friends and I drink it's usually so that we can sit around a campfire and sing songs loudly, beatbox, tell stories, complain, etc, without realizing how ridiculous we sound. Yeah, it's pretty stupid. But it's not innately dangerous. And there's always a couple of sober people to keep us in line.

Please don't think I do this every weekend, anyway. I think I've done something like what I mentioned above three times in my whole life, and I would never let things get to the point where I'd be putting myself or others in immediate danger.

Anyway, it's nearly impossible not to do things that will end up hurting people. I could be teasing someone playfully who could take it the wrong way and get upset. I could put myself out on a limb for another person and get rejected. I might accidentally walk into a ladder that someone is standing on and send them falling to their doom. Know what I mean?

I'll concede that my attitude, while it doesn't (at least I don't think it does) show a complete disregard for human life, can be interpreted as a little reckless. But I'd rather take a small chance of hurting other people, and being hurt myself, then going through my brief séjour on earth clinically detached and emotionless.

[EDIT]
Yeah, I agree that there are probably a few worthless people out there, but I'm thinking more along the lines of cruel and abusive pimp or drug dealer or insane fundamentalist suicide bomber than a neighbourhood bully or annoying loudmouth, here. And sometimes people may be worthless until someone helps them to be useful in some way.

Let's assume you earn a dollar and throw it out without spending it. How it's existence was motivated?

I'm willing to make an exception for a person who chooses of their own free will to be worthless. Sit in front of the tube and consume beer and chips until they expire. It's simply making a choice to not exercise one's worth, much like the dollar you hide and never spend. But then, they have no one to blame for their "worthlessness" but themselves. Like burning a dollar, I guess ...

If no one finds a use for the dollar, it doesn't mean that there is no worth in it. Just like if you can't find any worth in a person doesn't mean that there is no worth in that person. Every person is capable of doing good things and that's worth something itself. And don't ask if a person's existence was motivated or not, because then you have to take a look at his/her entire life. Some things seem to be possible (like degenerate case) in real life, but you can\t tell whether they actually are possible before they happen. As you've already said, you can't predict real life. You can't set up a situation and ask such questions about it, because it won't be real life then. And since you can't tell what is going to happen, you can't be sure that a person won't do something worth.

EDIT:

And if at some point whey will start to be willing not to be worthless? You can't tell if they will to or not, but they can.

The problem is that the dollar DOES have a use. That no one uses it is a waste, but it still has a worth. It's not worthless, just wasted potential.

EXACTLY!
Tonight, right now, I'm drinking with 2 friends. Playing South Park: Chef's Love Shack, hollering and carrying on.. it's just fun, and is a great stress reliever.

Sure, I wish there were more women here.. but.. oh well.

I really don't even understand the relevance of the $1 analogy..............

You won't like this, but let me propose that you were a bit depressed, and spending a night getting moderately drunk was just the break you needed and you're in a better mood the next day. You're more productive, and your good mood rubs off on other people making them more productive. The whole world seems beautiful. (It's great weather here by the way. )

I had a related problem. Imagine you meet two new girls. You find one of them rather attractive and the other one less so. You end up talking a lot to the former, and naturally smiling and laughing a lot. Then you try to involve the latter but cannot force yourself to carry on smiling in the same way. You are sure she picked up on it.

When I told my counsellor this story, she told me no one can take that much responsibility for other people's feelings. What I'd done was to be "gracious" by trying to involve both of them, and that was all anyone could be expected to do. Provided I didn't worry too much about it, the evening had been extremely enjoyable, and at least one of us was probably more productive the next day. Or maybe I just wasted the day on allegro.cc or something. I can't remember.

So don't take so much responsibility for other people. By far the best thing you can do is take care of your own primitive needs (such as socialising, or alcohol or chocolate abuse); then your good feelings will rub off on other people and you'll do a lot more good than you could have done otherwise.

(Alcohol abuse is an interesting one. There are people who become extremely nasty after drinking. But they're quite uncommon, and the one I can think of has an unpleasant air about him when he's sober too. Most people become silly, and it's fun to pretend to be drunk with them! Just don't make yourself throw up in someone else's house ... Personally I don't drink because I don't need to; I'm fully capable of being silly and having fun without drinking, and I've never seen the appeal.)

By the way, Derezo's 'first girlfriend' story said to me, "Look how silly this was," not "Look at my conquests." X-G, I know you can see how silly it was; the trick is to realise that the story was meant to be that way and to try to forget the jealousy ... I think ... Thing is, Derezo is probably having as much trouble finding a serious relationship as the rest of us. The difference is that some of us (like you and me) have been looking for serious relationships all along, which is always hard. I did actually have a girlfriend when I was 9 or so. Similar to Derezo's story in fact. I had no idea what it meant. (She was 7 or 8. All I did was go along with what she wanted to do - until it got to wet kisses, which were "disgusting". I bet she watched too many soap operas.) Serious relationship? Never. So try not to feel jealous.