After a blunder by me (see first few posts), I'm determined to make a better and much more interesting topic. So let's hope I don't mess up again.

 

 

 

After the "Swan Song" quest, I talked to the Wise Old Man as I did long before. My character, appalled that the Old Man did not care about his wrongdoings, was repremanding him for being a cruel and heartless being. In response, the Wise Old Man went on a rampage, talking about all of his years of adventuring had brought him no wealth and little glory, with him being stuck in an old shack in Draynor Village. Having been taking advantage of, he proceeded in taking what he thought was rightfully his. From the conversation, he did seem sorry that he killed those adventurers, but he felt that what he did was perfectly within his bounds.

 

 

 

Most people would probably just find this to be an intersting conversation, but I can't stop thinking about that view...I don't know what to think. It certainly is a controversial speech, perhaps one of the most I've seen on Runescape. So I ask you guys...do you agree with him? Is it alright to do it in Runescape? Is it right to do it in real life (without murdering people, of course)? To what extent are you responsible to suiting your own needs and to those of others?

 

 

 

After thinking about it for a while, I can certainly understand where he comes from. No, that doesn't mean I would ever EVER do what he did (just as to make that clear), but I think that you should try to make yourself happy as well. I'm certainly not the most charitable person in the world by any means, I certainly do choose not to help people sometimes, but I'm definately not a heartless one. Yesterday, I helped a person escape from the Lumbridge Caves who somehow managed to fall into there from above. It was certainly a blast...definately one of the highlights of the week. After his candle exploded and I ran to the exit with him (trying to take all of the blows from the cave hands, which didn't always work out) and he made it out alive with about 10 hp left. In my life, I've never seemed to be too lucky (something I never really minded too much, because it drives me to be a better person), with almost every single person I've helped end up yelling at me for it or endlessly ask me stupid questions or to buy things I never said I wanted. To be honest, I've rarely seen good actions pay off for themselves, but yet I still keep on TRYING to help others anyways. Yeah, I'm weak like that...and why I'm bound never to taste "success".

 

 

 

EDIT: After reading this again, I decided to alter my last paragraph...it made me come off as something I'm not.

i've gotten 2 teeths from M.O.M and and 1 loop from a casket when i was fishing. it's like 1 in 100 i think...maybe 1 in 50

errr this would go under the "Why does this deserve a topic" category.

 

 

 

I have gotten 20+ half keys from M.O.M, Pirate, Chest or other randoms and this has been made a topic like 10000 times and it gets flamed everytime.

Ignore these first four posts...consider them artifacts of a lost era. :o

 

 

 

The post was originally about key halves from random events, if you wish to know.

I got a key half from an old man (or was it giles...) then i went and opened the chest and got another half =o free d stones please?

even better

 

 

 

i got a teeth half from the lvl 110 tyras guard u have to kill during regicide :)

Alright, it's been changed. No need to waste more of anybody's time. I hope you like this topic better.

 

 

 

I decided that instead of creating a flame fest, I would rather see a productive post.

 

 

 

Thanks goes to HatshepsutLecter for opening this topic to discussion.

why change a topic after that many people have replied to it? it is just confusing. :?

 

 

 

anyways, on the second topic, i do try to help people but i have noticed that i am getting burned a lot. some of the people that i help dont even bother to thank me.....

 

 

 

as for the harming people to get a better lot for myself, i think i would have to know how much harm you are talking about. it if is just a little then maybe i would consider it. i wouldnt do it if it is going to totally devistate the person in question though.

After pondering about it for a while, I think I might have to agree. Nowadays, everytime I seem to try to help people, I end up getting burned at the end. But I don't know if I could intentionally harm somebody for my own gain. Yeah, I'm weak like that...and why I'm bound never to taste "success".

 

 

 

Don't let that stop you from helping people, helping others will pay off in the long run. As for you never tasting success... there's a lot of different forms of success. Nowadays people consider the amount of money they have their success and if you can't be rude or mean to others you have little chance of getting a lot of it. Helping others is a form of success too, since you made them feel better and probably yourself too. Just do what you feel comfortable with, don't let what other people do dictate your life.

In the last weeks I've been nice to people and it was rewarded, i gave back a blue beret to a girl who died fighting white knights, got a new friend. I gave 200 coins to a dude on karamja so he could buy something, he was really happy. I usually get things back for being nice....

 

 

 

And about the WOM, i don't think it's right depending on who you take from, if it doesn't harm any's life i actually think he should've done it,

After a blunder by me (see first few posts), I'm determined to make a better and much more interesting topic. So let's hope I don't mess up again.

 

 

 

After the "Swan Song" quest, I talked to the Mysterious Old Man as I did long before. My character, appalled that the Old Man did not care about .

 

 

 

I think you mean Wise Old Man, the Mysterious Old Man is a random event and nothing to do with the Wise Old Man who you are talking about.[/b]

It is indeed rather unfortunate that in something as Runescape, people tend to 'abuse' those who help other people (such as in the case of me, I make a friend, give them some stuff willingly, but then comes back and keeps asking me for free stuff -_-), because they see it as one way to gain wealth. They may not do it in real life, because they either don't or they can't because people is more alert with practical things rather than cyber things. Therefore it is rather unfortunate that when you help people through a wire, it will backfire. However there are still those who have appreciated help, and will still do their own thing, but knowing that you have made it so it is that much easier. It will pay off in the long run.

 

 

 

This is more of the case in Real Life. Helping other people have a MUCH stronger impact than in game (let it be material, emotional or psychological help), because those are the ones that would change their lives. In that case if they receive help, they will DEFINITELY appreciate any help (unless they are really using, in which case you need not to care about them anylonger).

 

 

 

Lastly, you are certainly right in putting the word success in quotation marks. 'Success' is a grey word, and it changes from one person to another. To most people, 'Success' would be getting rich (much like in RS) or famous, but there are other ways in which 'success' can show itself. You just have to find what form of this 'success' you are content with the most (i don't care about money, I wouldn't mind working for money, and have a bit extra myself, but its not for this 'success', it is just so that living would be easier).

 

 

 

About the Wise Old Man, his actions cannot be justified (because it hurts a lot of people), though the motive behind it is understandable. It is a great pity that people nowadays work for themselves and show lack of appreciation to any help they receive. If I was the Wise Old Man, i would feel the same as him, but would I do what he did? That is open to debate.

After a blunder by me (see first few posts), I'm determined to make a better and much more interesting topic. So let's hope I don't mess up again.

 

 

 

After the "Swan Song" quest, I talked to the Mysterious Old Man as I did long before. My character, appalled that the Old Man did not care about his wrongdoings, was repremanding him for being a cruel and heartless being. In response, the Wise Old Man went on a rampage, talking about all of his years of adventuring had brought him no wealth and little glory, with him being stuck in an old shack in Draynor Village. Having been taking advantage of, he proceeded in taking what he thought was rightfully his. From the conversation, he did seem sorry that he killed those adventurers, but he felt that what he did was perfectly within his bounds.

 

 

 

Most people would probably just find this to be an intersting conversation, but I can't stop thinking about that view...I don't know what to think. It certainly is a controversial speech, perhaps one of the most I've seen on Runescape. So I ask you guys...do you agree with him? Is it alright to do it in Runescape? Is it right to do it in real life (without murdering people, of course)? To what extent are you responsible to suiting your own needs and to those of others?

 

 

 

After pondering about it for a while, I think I might have to agree. Nowadays, everytime I seem to try to help people, I end up getting burned at the end. But I don't know if I could intentionally harm somebody for my own gain. Yeah, I'm weak like that...and why I'm bound never to taste "success".

 

 

 

Most (90%+) situations in a ROLE PLAYING game that involve characters can directly translate into real world examples and back.

 

 

 

All his excuses were just that EXCUSES. Just because your momma didn't hug you and your daddy touched you doesn't give you the right to rape and murder. The same thing translates into ANY type of negative acting out. Life is hard. Nobody had a perfect childhood and apparently the WOM didn't have a perfect adult life. That gives him a right to complain. That gives him a right to stop helping the ungrateful. That gives him the right to go on Oprah and whine about how messed up his head is. It does NOT give him the right to murder and steal.

 

 

 

And if he is simply jaded to the value of a "human" because of all his battles then he needs to retire in a more permanent fashion.

 

 

 

Helping people is, and will always be, a semi-sweet endeavor. Theoretically, when you help somebody you should expect EXACTLY nothing in return; no thank-you's, no gratitude, no tax deduction, etc. Altruism should be it's own reward. The problem is that human beings are inherently and ultimately (as in "in the end" not "greatly") selfish. There is no such thing as a 100% selfLESS act. I mother saves her daughter from a burning whatever and ends up giving her life for her. Yes, it is a very benevelant act but could the mother actually live with the knowledge that she chose herself over her baby? Possibly, but the life wouldn't be worth living and, knowing this, she choses the least selfish option. If you accept the fact that nobody is TRULY selfless you can more easily see the ASPECTS of acts that appear to be selfless... and vice versa *hint hint*.

 

 

 

Your view on your supposed view is "backasswards", or whatever abomination my father is currently using (he actually speaks in a more intentionally unintelligible manner than most leetspeakers, lol). You are not weak because of your inability to harm others; it is in fact the opposite. The weak-minded are those who have problems with foreign words such as empathy or sympathy.

 

You need to be prepared to protect you and your own, though, if the problem arises. Causing harm to prevent harm is acceptable as long as it is a measured and provoked or preventative response. Don't be afraid to let loose to save your life or your kin.

 

 

 

The other part that is backwards is the idea that the only way to succeed in life is to ruthlessly acquire money. While I have never been personally rich I have experienced a LOT of money and I can assure you that I would never trade a million things in my life for more of it. Get a job that you enjoy and that pays the bills that are required for you to enjoy the rest of life.

 

 

 

 

 

Don't concern yourself with the millions that you aren't making because if you do make them you will worry about the billions that you aren't.

in response to the posster above, you have to remember that human life is not always seen as "valuable", and the value of somebody else's life is actually only relative to the point of view of the person with the bigger weapon. for eaxmple, killing during a war is completely justifiable, and nobody thinks for a second that the enemies out there are humans with lives. they see them as a threat to your way of life, and that gives you the right to kill them. same thing with criminals on death row, they disrupt the way of life in a community, so they deserve to be killed.

 

 

 

from the wise old man's point of view, he wasnt happy about the status of his life. i suppose his golden fixtures in his house and his blue phat might give him the status he thinks he deserves, but does it really? he's still the same old adventurer in the same old run down house in the same village. he still offers bank cleaning services to f2p players and still tells stories of adventures. and he still spies on the wizards tower. so, why not run off to falador and build himself a mansion and have beautiful maidens entertain him? why not buy a whip and some dragon armor and head out on more adventures? why not use the money to create a doomsday device to take over runescape?

 

 

 

i think the wise old man is a noble guy who still has his sense of honor and might actually be working on something that may save the world.

I'll agree with the old man's philosophy, and take it one step further.

 

 

 

I'd kill my own family if the price was right.

RAHK, I did change my last paragraph a little bit because I really did come off wrong. I agree with alot of the things you say (actually a good 90% of it), but, upon reading my post, I can see where it appears I don't.

 

 

 

That philosophy is what we were both taught was true, and I'll stick by those morals to the best of my ability. In my first post, I put the word success in quotes in order to state that it was the success that too many people relate with being rich, not mine.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, life doesn't always work like we were taught; it certainly isn't very fair, and you certainly can't expect people to do the right thing. Unfortunately, human nature often dictates that people will do whatever it takes to keep themselves in the best position possible--a law of nature. So, in reality, you can expect people to do the wrong thing most of the time. I hate it too, but that certainly isn't going to change anything.

 

 

 

I'm not about riches at all--I'm a level 89 character with a 1400+ skill total who has a net value of about 3.5 million, and 2.4 million of that came when I was lucky enough to come accross a Gunthan's Helm. When I was a young character, with noobish stats and in f2p, I gave away 15k to a guy who had lost his addy due to his own stupidity. That was quite a bit to me...almost an hour's work at the time, if not more. I don't expect it back, even though he promised he would. It makes it fun when you give people loans knowing they won't pay you back and can imagine them smile.

 

 

 

It's great to have high moral fiber, but it's also important to have both feet panted firmly on the ground and see the world for what it is. Oftentimes, like delusional environmentalists, altruism can hurt more than it helps.

I'll agree with the old man's philosophy, and take it one step further.

 

 

 

I'd kill my own family if the price was right.

 

I pity you... :shame: