I am going to put on my teacher’s hat now. Although I have never been an official teacher I have taught at several seminars in both the professional arena and the religious arena. So here is a lesson about altruism.
On the right side of my blog I proudly proclaim that I am a passionate altruist. But what does that really mean? As usual there are varying definitions of the term. Here is what Dictionary.com defines as an altruist:
altruism (ˈæltruːˌɪzəm) 1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
2. the philosophical doctrine that right action is that which produces the greatest benefit to others
While this short answer gives you an idea of what altruism is let’s look at Wikipedia for a longer explanation.
Altruism /ˈæltruːɪzəm/ is a concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of ‘others’ toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism is the opposite of selfishness.
Altruism was central to the teachings of Jesus found in the Gospel especially in the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain.
Some Christian denominations use altruism as the very foundation of their beliefs. Quakers are one example of that and Catholics to one degree or another. Other Christian denominations very much downplay altruism and instead favor personal salvation, human unworthiness and helplessness as their foundation. From personal experience I believe Lutherans are part of that group but they are by no means the only ones in that category.
It may surprise some of you to learn that in Buddhism altruism is also a foundational item. Here is Wikipedia again on that topic:
Altruism figures prominently in Buddhism. Love and compassion are components of all forms of Buddhism, and both are focused on all beings equally: the wish that all beings be happy (love) and the wish that all beings be free from suffering (compassion). “Many illnesses can be cured by the one medicine of love and compassion. These qualities are the ultimate source of human happiness, and the need for them lies at the very core of our being” (Dalai Lama).
So to be an altruist is to care about others as much or even more than you care about yourself. I’m not sure that a person can learn to be an altruist. I think maybe you have to have that in your soul or at least your DNA :) . Here is a study about the neurological origins of altruism/selfishness.
An experiment funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted in 2007 at the Duke University in Durham, North Carolina suggests a different view, “that altruistic behavior may originate from how people view the world rather than how they act in it”. In the study published in the February 2007 print issue of Nature Neuroscience, researchers have found a part of the brain that behaves differently for altruistic and selfish people.
Why some have it and others don’t is a mystery to me. As mentioned above the opposite of altruism is selfishness. It is not hard to find examples of selfishness almost anywhere you look. The current political arena is gushing with it.
Are you also and altruist? If so have you always been one or did some life event push you in that direction?
RJ's Corner 
I can’t honestly say that I am a true altruist as you describe. I don’t know why. I was raised as a Lukewarm Lutheran and when I married I became a Lukewarm Catholic. Now I am neither. I just can’t seem to relate to these organizations. That doesn’t mean that I don’t hold similar values and yearn for truth and meaning in life. I do. As for altruism…it seems to me that it could be learned. I think that we are all born with the potential for good but life puts us on different paths. There is surely a reward to caring and sacrificing for others. Maybe once experienced it would multiply. Our Western cultures however, are focused on personal achievement and success…ambition is nurtured from the cradle. I certainly care and would sacrifice anything for my family…but I can’t honestly say I would do more for strangers beyond the usual monetary contributions and volunteer stuff. I had hoped to find something more in volunteering but my experience has been that around here we have soooo many volunteers for every place I have gone that I end up feeling redundant…not helpful or needed. I guess I would need that reinforcement to do more.
An editorial in our paper this morning was about the gay marriage issue and the Hindu point of view that says God is present equally and identicaly in everyone and that awareness of this truth is the highest religious wisdom. I like that.
And you inspire me to learn more.
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I agree with you Rod that I also feel altruism is part of my makeup . I feel it is my life
style implanted within me to care for all people, especially those , who are less fortunate than other people. All of my life, I have been focused on learning and experiencing the
life of people , who are not as fortunate or lucky as I have been in my life. So, it is good
that you have discovered this part of your important being. Phillip Gulley, the wonderful
Quaker minister , has written a book on What is Christian in Christianity? which says in
someways that we are to follow Christ in how we act in our daily life. I think that would
have more meaning than to belong to a church and try hard to get them to become compassionate and caring for others. I have been down that road MANY times here
in Indiana and in Maryland too. It is too challenging of a job to try to pursuade a people
in a CHURCH to reach out and help others naturally. I believe it cannot be done…
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Your last post and this are so interwoven for me. You have depicted my inner struggle.
I was raised that helping others is more important than helping myself. BUT I feel that I live in a society that the “I” is more important than the “you”.
We spent 20 years in the military…defending others. While we traveled we also worked in our communities- food banks, ushering, teaching. Our children now joined to serve others. Medicine is socialized. The most ill have all their needs cared for. Families are encouraged to work together…there still are dinners made when a little one goes into the hospital or a new baby arrives. Our soldiers build schools and their families often supply the equipment (chalk is my specialty), our best friend’s daughter is an ER nurse who works mostly with I’ll children in her current remote location.
Yes, they shoot, but the orders are defend not aggress and have been for a number of years. It is an altruistic society. Which it is such a inner conflict.
My question is, if none are willing to defend- would our society survive?
Two great thinking posts in two days. Thank you for writing.
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Mary, thanks for the comments. Yes, I think I have read most of the books by Philip Gulley. He is a remarkable author and person. I am a big believer in the old saying “Actions speak louder than words” and that certainly applies when it come to altruism. You can’t just say you believe something; you have to prove it with your actions. I believe the same is true for being a Christian. You can’t just pronounce you are one and then not show it. James, the brother of Jesus say that same thing so directly I find it very hard to understand why all Christians, especially the clergy don’t understand that. It is nice to know that there are other people out there that believe as we do.
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Jan, thanks again for your comments. When we have inner struggles with these types of issues I believe we are better off than those who don’t even bother to consider them. It sounds like from your story here you are very much an altruist in both your words and actions. I envy some of the things you have accomplished in your life and your story about others you know.
As to your question yes I, unlike some Quakers who I so much admire, do believe that it is necessary to sometimes use force in order to survive at a society. Thank you for your service. I have no belligerence toward our soldiers in uniform. They are just doing their duty as well as can be done. What I am against is when the leaders seem to rush to war just because they can without trying all other options first. It greatly saddens me to think of all the deaths on both sides of all our conflicts that have occurred due to this rush and all the money we have also wasted that could have been spent of other things.
Thanks again for your comments and stories that I so enjoyed hearing.
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What is the moral code of altruism? The basic principle of altruism is that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that service to others is the only justification of his existence, and that self-sacrifice is his highest moral duty, virtue and value.
Do not confuse altruism with kindness, good will or respect for the rights of others. These are not primaries, but consequences, which, in fact, altruism makes impossible. The irreducible primary of altruism, the basic absolute, is self-sacrifice—which means; self-immolation, self-abnegation, self-denial, self-destruction—which means: the self as a standard of evil, the selfless as a standard of the good.
Do not hide behind such superficialities as whether you should or should not give a dime to a beggar. That is not the issue. The issue is whether you do or do not have the right to exist without giving him that dime. The issue is whether you must keep buying your life, dime by dime, from any beggar who might choose to approach you. The issue is whether the need of others is the first mortgage on your life and the moral purpose of your existence. The issue is whether man is to be regarded as a sacrificial animal. Any man of self-esteem will answer: “No.” Altruism says: “Yes.”
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