Altruism is defined as the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Are we by nature altruistic? Are you?

When I explore myself I see altruism mixed with self-centeredness. Given an honest assessment, you would probably declare the same about yourself. I believe that altruism is basic human nature in the same way that selfishness is human nature.

We have many natures, many desires, and they war in our minds for control of our behavior. We have evolved “selfish genes” so we will care for ourselves, and we have evolved “altruistic genes” so we will care for our children, family and tribe.

It is essential for the survival of the human race that we regard one another on at least the same level that we regard ourselves. Many mystics and philosophers throughout the ages have affirmed this including Jesus when he said the second greatest commandment was “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Humans have within them this seed of altruism, this seed of love and good deeds. This seed, which is so small at first, has the ability to grow and become a large and sprawling tree that provides food, shelter, and peace to the world.

We can change and through our change we can transform the world into a place of love and peaceful community. I believe that through compassion and reason political and religious empires can crumble from within and people can live free and hopeful lives.

Where to start? I have lots of ideas that I’ll be sharing in the coming months, but one thing we can do is combat hunger and poverty in the world.

I’m providing 2 links, 1 to milleniumpromise.org, a secular charity with a good reputation for being efficient and effective, and also a link to charitynavigator.org where you can find and research charities.

www.milleniumpromise.org
www.charitynavigator.org

Let’s make a difference!