Do you do things for other people without them knowing? I found myself thinking about that when a friend made a point of what he did for me. Did he need acknowledgement? Is he self promoting so I'll think better of him?

IMHO being considerate to another fellow human being is part of being human. If it is acknowedged, that's nice but isn't that beside the point.

Taking care of each other is what we need to do. Even the simplest of things are important. For instance, holding the door for the next person walking in or out of a store, even if they don't thank you.