Doing Without Expecting: A Lost Habit

From childhood, we are taught a pattern: if you do something, you get something in return. If you study well, you get good marks. If you stay quiet when guests arrive, you get a chocolate. If you dance in front of people, you get praising. If you behave nicely, you are accepted and appreciated.

This kind of thinking shapes our mindset deeply. Over time, we start to believe that if there's no reward, there's no reason to act. Slowly, our actions become less about doing the right thing and more about what we’ll gain from it.

Take plastic pollution, for example. We all know it's harming the environment. We could easily start by collecting and managing the plastic waste from our own homes. But many don’t. Because there’s no direct benefit. There’s no reward, no prize—just the effort of doing it. And that doesn’t feel enough.

Look at our streets. Trash falls, things are scattered, but most of us walk past them. We tell ourselves, "It’s not my job," or "It’s not my mess." Since we’re not getting anything by picking it up, we ignore it.

But imagine a world where people did things simply because they mattered. Where people cleaned up not for praise, but for cleanliness. Where kindness wasn't shown for appreciation, but because it was natural. Where doing the right thing didn’t need a spotlight.

If that was the case, our surroundings would be so much better. Our cities would be more organized. Our homes more peaceful. Our relationships more honest. There would be no constant need to compare or compete, because we wouldn't be living for rewards.

Maybe it’s time we let go of this idea that every good action must come with a return. Some things are worth doing simply because they are the right things to do. And that should be enough.