Is it normal to do things because you think you should care, but actually don't?

It's in the doing that creates the caring. Yes, it's normal not to care sometimes in the beginning of any project or effort. If a person walks in the room and looks uninteresting you might decide to ignore them. Knowing you should acknowledge the person leads you to say hello and instantly you've made a connection outside of yourself, which could lead to an exchange of ideas, and looking at that person, or yourself, in a new light.

i think it falls under the "selflessness, sacrifice" catagory. We do things we
dont want to do because it makes the other person feel better, and we hope to receive the same from others, i think we tend to remember those interactions as
a more positive experience as well.

Excellent question. That is one of my informal definitions of civilization, and is what prevents anarchy. Without these acts, we'd still be cavemen beating each other over the head.

Yes, it's normal, and I agree with joli that sometimes (for certain activities) it can lead to caring.

Sometimes you can surprise yourself....I know I do...Sometimes it seems like we don't care, and then we do something for someone else, that maybe we don't want to do at that time. In the end, when we see a smile on their face, it makes it all worthwhile. For myself...... My backyard gardens need lots of work right now. I really have a "don't care" attitude, because the weather has been so hot here ....temps over 100 with 115 heat index. I do know that when I get out there and get to work...even though I don't want to...I will feel better and good about myself and glad I did the work.

There's a pay-it-forward factor in doing the right thing. It comes back around in
invisible ways by strengthening the fabric of society. remember some tv ad not too long ago, for what I can't rememer, where someone did something very tiny for a stranger, and instantly the camera went to someone else doing something very tiny for a stranger, and so on and so on. it never did come back around to the first person, it wasn't a fairy tale, it was a snapshot of a workable community. It made me smile and I imagine it made you smile too beause we just intuitively grasp this principle even when we're grumpy and don't want to participate in it.

Well to be honest it really does depend on what circumstances you are talking about?