Every day of our life, we come into contact with other people, with their ways of life and their needs. Sometimes, we notice that it is necessary and possible to help some, and at that moment, it is just when it is defined if our value system drives us to act selfishly or generously and altruistically. Keep reading.
It is common to hear that the human being has a selfish nature that leads him to pursue as a priority his particular well-being as something innate or normal, in frank ignorance of the wishes, interests and needs of others. On the other hand, there are numerous thinkers, researchers and philosophers who see in the human heart the noble and latent seed of altruism and generosity.
Altruism, is a word derived from the old French "altrui", and means "of others". It is generally defined as devotion, concern and personal sacrifice in search of the well-being of others. Personally, I define it as the human capacity to express love, service or compassion in a conscious, voluntary and disinterested way, with the sole objective of generating well-being or happiness in the lives of others.
Given its ability to overcome selfish tendencies, altruism is considered a virtue practiced by few, although there is no lack of those who, like Nietzsche, consider that altruism and compassion are a contribution to the creation of "weak souls", and that each one should fight your battle to emancipate yourself.
Some researchers claim that altruism is born in men before two years of age, which would mark an innate tendency to help. In the religious sphere, and although there is no reference to the term "altruism" (the word was coined by the French philosopher Auguste Comte in 1851), there are religious, philosophical or spiritualist schools that consider goodness as natural in the human being, and preach the need to practice it daily.
One of those visions of humanitarian approach is that of Buddhism, which considers the existence of two paths for spiritual progress and happiness. These are: the Hinayana or "small vehicle", which seeks individual liberation, and the Mahayana or "great vehicle", which seeks to help everyone, assuming that others are equal to us. Taking this second path implies having the intention to help, to be useful, and to find the means to help, which will require virtues such as generosity, patience, effort, perseverance, etc.
The Catholic religion also assumes the need to help others and assumes the phrase: "Love your neighbor as yourself", as a fundamental reference in that preaching.
Many others have voiced their views on altruism. Leo Buscaglia, author of several works on love, has said that “each man who comes closer to himself, when he comes closer to others. The wise Pythagoras believed in moderate altruism and in the need for everyone to do their part to progress. He argued that the proper thing was to help our fellow men lift their load, but not carry it. Mother Teresa, a well-known practitioner of charity, said: “By serving the wretched, we serve God directly. And the popular saying that says: "Do well and do not look at whom" is a clearly driving expression of altruism.
To develop altruism, it is necessary to develop a new sensitivity that allows us to understand the value of others, to understand that without others we would not be what we are, that we will all grow old and die, that giving is a path to happiness, that You live better without selfishness, when you work as a team with tolerance, inclusion and respect, and that people yearn to be happy, and sometimes they only require a little external support.
It is important to point out that it is not a question of manifesting what I will call today the "lower forms of altruism": interested altruism, guilty altruism, parental altruism and occasional altruism.
Interested altruism ceases to be altruism as it serves selfish plans and does not seek the happiness of others but rather personal satisfaction. As Sáenz de Miera said: "It is possible that, on occasions, an act of charity is charged more with the will to power than with the nobility of the soul." For its part, guilty altruism is one that leads the person to help others, to avoid feeling bad, and is typical of people who have difficulty managing their emotions and unpleasant sensations.
Parental altruism is the one that mobilizes aid resources for relatives and loved ones, for whom an affection built and reinforced over the years is experienced.
Occasional altruism is an expression of help that appears very occasionally and that does not obey our values but a fleeting desire, and although it has value, it does not weigh heavily on the innumerable needs of the human collective.
True altruism, the one we suggest here, transcends the personal and the family, and seeks to create and find opportunities to help everyone, especially the weakest and neediest, does not seek personal benefits and assumes itself as a powerful and permanent value of life, and as a fundamental objective to improve the world.
Even in the socioeconomic framework, I am convinced that the world is in need of a new economic ethic, more spiritualized and less primitive and voracious, that is located in the "just middle", between liberal and selfish capitalism and extremism. castrator of the radical left, in order to promote more balanced and ecological forms of production and distribution of wealth that benefit the majority of people and not privileged groups. What more demonstration of altruism than to allow a human being to live with dignity, and with a relative material autonomy?
So, with that said, ask yourself how you can help, who needs your help, and take action, not forgetting that the more you evolve, the more you can help others improve your life. Thanks for reading me. www.laexcelencia.com.
