IS ALTRUISM OLD-FASHIONED?
When we refer to the “Good Old Days” or talk about old-fashioned values, we are usually reminiscing about some good event or method of doing something that is no longer done today. Actually, history is painted with a stained brush. There is nothing from the good old days that cannot be replicated today, but unfortunately much of what is now out of style are the altruistic values (altruism) back then…values that we all could use in order to make a better life today. After all, we live in the now.
The definition of the word “altruistic” means, “Showing a selfless concern for the well-being of others; unselfish.” What is old fashioned, or in referring to life in the good old days, is the witnessing of things like compassion, kindness, empathy, respect. Not one of those requires money, upbringing, area code, political affiliation, religious belief, job, ancestry, gender or fame. It is a choice and fully dependent on each one of us. It is all about living with others of whom we all do. We are built to be rewarded with good feelings when we are altruistic. There are many synonyms of “altruistic” such as philanthropic, charitable, humanitarian, benevolent, generous, good, etc. Altruism is at the center of Jesus’ teachings and life, and if we want to emulate those teachings, we must selflessly care for others. The Bible sums up altruism best in the “Love one another” of Jesus Christ. Religious altruism is the belief that when we love others we love Christ, who made all.
Many times we have witnessed people giving selflessly to others in need when they themselves have little to share. Whenever there is a tragedy in a community, we see people giving contributions of money, personal effects, and time and effort in order to aid the situation. This is an example of old-fashioned altruism. In the many stories about life during the Great Depression, both from historical documents and from family stories passed down, we hear of many examples. For instance, my mother was raised on a dairy and hog farm where she and her siblings attended a country school along with many other neighbor children. The neighbor Forster’s mother died leaving a rather large family under the care of the father. Because my mother’s family had access to meat, cream and butter, she and her siblings had good and nutritious lunches but the little Forster kids had no more than an occasional lard sandwich. Consequently, after learning of their plight, my grandmother made extra lunches for the Forster kids and did so for a number of years. When my grandmother died in 1977, there at her funeral was a large bouquet of roses from one of the grown Forster boys with a card attached that read, “Thank you for all the kindness you showed our family.” Her altruism did not go unnoticed, and is just one of many stories we all have gained, many within your own family history.
Is it ridiculous to blame or lay a golden sheen on a past that is now gone, a past that includes personal experiences of yesterdays? There were hardships unknown to us today but if you look around you will see a current set of hardships and needs in your own community. We all need to care about people and things outside our own bubble. All the history of yesterday and the old-fashioned life of the past do not need to be out-of-style at all if we apply old-fashioned altruism to our own lives. In return, that may spark others to do so the same so that we live more harmoniously.
