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Stalin and Mao and Pol Pot defined it very differently from Gandhi and Mother Teresa.

Yes, but Stalin and Mao and Pol Pot (what a name...) were obvious looters. The fact that their self-interest was power over others is a distinction that cannot be ignored. Gandhi and Mother Theresa were different in that they helped others in their own self interest without taking from others, other than the charity of other good people that is. The profit from their self-interest was the powerful feeling of doing good for others. I have felt this through working for my local Lions Club.

Somebody said that the God area was where Rand swung and missed, and I agree with that. People who have never done charity work are really missing out on the way you feel after doing it. Erecting fences and dugouts for the kids' little league fields, spending days flipping burgers in the Lions food trailer at the local fair, dressing up like an elf to take pictures of kids with Santa and putting them into greeting cards at Wal-Mart, all for no pay was an incredibly rewarding experience, and it is a pity that Rand didnt realize this. I think if she had lived longer, she might have softened up, kind of the way that Malcom X did later in life...JFK

People who have never done charity work are really missing out on the way you feel after doing it.

But, if you feel good by doing it, how can it be self sacrifice?

That's the way I reconcile the charity work I do.

Self sacrifice is doing things that you hate because you are told it is for the "greater good."

Somebody said that the God area was where Rand swung and missed, and I agree with that. People who have never done charity work are really missing out on the way you feel after doing it. Erecting fences and dugouts for the kids' little league fields, spending days flipping burgers in the Lions food trailer at the local fair, dressing up like an elf to take pictures of kids with Santa and putting them into greeting cards at Wal-Mart, all for no pay was an incredibly rewarding experience, and it is a pity that Rand didnt realize this. I think if she had lived longer, she might have softened up, kind of the way that Malcom X did later in life...JFK

I agree with you here!

I was the one who said that Ayn swung and missed when it came to God. However, Ayn believed in free trade, and if one engages in charity work, the "coin" to pay for charitable work is gratitude. However, she had a huge problem with welfare states, because the people receiving charity despised those who gave. Consider also the speech by Francisco to Hank Rearden during the party where they first met.