Altruism

Although it’s an arguably non-existant ideal, altruism has always interested me on one level or another. The simple arguments against it are logical and elegant, but somehow I don’t believe it. It’s not due to the fact that from one particular perspective, one’s good deeds are considered selfish acts, persued from a desire for the pleasent feeling of doing something positive, or from the fear of eternal damnation. Reguardless of whether or not action, rather than thought, is the only important factor, something about an objective and logical perspective failing to find an existant act of altrusim always seemed wrong. I think I always knew better, instinctually, and I think I now know why.

Through all things experienced in life, we hold record. Our lives are line of ordinary, with intruding moments of sheer beauty and ugliness; the best christmas, a bad injury, the first kiss, a final goodbye, etc. These moments we store and know, for we experienced them ourselves, and our immaginations and conscious minds can get a complete and loving grip on them. However, as we happen to be logical, objective, and intelligent creatures, we understand (contrary to other animals) that they are not the only moments in the universe. We understand that the world of our kind is infinately larger than us, and that our precious moments, unique as they might seem, are merely versions of moments experienced by many, often on a much more eloquent scale; a scale of quintessence that is often used to judge the validity and strength of our moments, comparitively.

Out of carnal pride, we assume that the most important things that happen in life are things that happen to ourselves. However, through vicarious immagination we can acknowlege and be aware of other other things. Out of an appreciation for life, and our short but sweet roles in it, we can be made to appreciate everything there is; in the same sense that we appreciate things that are strictly our own. We are merely cogs in the great machinery of things, but we are cogs with eyes that can see the whole that we’re a part of… and it is that whole, in it’s immortality, that should be celebrated, not ourselves.