How to Survive in a Selfish World if You’re Altruist

Summary

The article discusses the challenges and strategies for altruists to navigate and contribute positively in a predominantly selfish world shaped by capitalism.

Abstract

The author, an altruistic individual with a history of community service, reflects on the struggle to maintain empathy and kindness in a world increasingly normalized to selfishness by capitalist ideologies. Amidst a global pandemic and personal tragedies such as the murder of a friend, the author emphasizes the importance of sharing stories and experiences on platforms like Medium, which defy capitalist norms by fostering a community of sharing. The article advocates for a proactive approach to altruism, where helping others is an end in itself and a source of personal fulfillment. It also touches on the concept of the "Butterfly Effect," suggesting that small actions can have far-reaching impacts, and encourages critical thinking and new ideas to improve the world, rather than waiting for a savior. The author acknowledges the emotional toll of witnessing suffering and injustice but insists that altruists must not be consumed by ego or despair, as sometimes patience and quiet support are the most effective forms of help.

Opinions

Capitalism is criticized for promoting a worldview that lacks altruism and normalizes selfish behavior.
The author believes that sharing personal stories, even when they convey sadness or success, is a form of resistance against capitalist norms and a testament to collective altruism.
Altruism is defined as helping others without expecting anything in return and is seen as a path to self-fulfillment and social cohesion.
The "Butterfly Effect" is cited to illustrate that small, compassionate actions can have significant global repercussions.

Capitalism has adopted the world as its house, that’s why humankind is trying to survive into an insensible world.

Collage Digital. Por: Eider Ojanguren. domestika.org.

Since I had a sense of others, I’ve tried to help. My family was very catholic, then I become Boy Scout, after that, I give my life to University since the community organization and then now: in a pandemic world with a big necessity to help.

The world is so selfish, and it is getting normalized by capitalism; which in its theory believe “the human nature is no altruism”. Yes, was John Stuart Mill economist and member of the Liberal Party in Scotland, who says that; and let me tell you what: he also represents the classical school of economics in XIX.

This 2020 has become a kind of stressful and obligatory exercise of being in front of a mirror, into a deep meditation of who we are, and where are we going or if we just will stay wherever we are (which is not bad). Honestly, for me, that exercise has me very happy, because I have access to many resources to make lightly to think about, but even with that we got notice of much bad news, and suddenly today I got a very frightening notice.

This 05th April and I got from a Friend post, that a close friend of he was murdered in the Western of my country. It just put me in shock. I know this horrifying act it’s going to affect more others than me, but It is just I cannot be insensible of that. And surely we cannot do anything to “help” neither a justice act of its memory.

Before the Pandemia crisis starts, we had in our country an alarm of femicides around our country. In Central America, we live in a permanent state of scared and insecurity. And it becomes harder because of the structure: it crushes more some than others. Now we have a pandemic crisis growing, just a few countries had its chance to help the affected, but the majority hasn’t. And that’s for an altruist, enough to become sad and live with.

What I try to explain, is how to survive in all that chaos: how to create an order to our wellness and share it.

I like (and prefer) Medium because we can share histories in a very different way. We have created an atmosphere to tell something, even when it means sad or success. Medium is completely against the rules because it allows us to share. That’s a sin for Capitalism and proof that: you and I are colleagues of altruism.

When a person is altruistic, he or she needs to act in those events that are not related. In our primitive sense as humankind, we have solidarity to others to attempt companionship and guarantee our social of surviving into, like in a herd.

Altruism means help not waiting for something to return. And also means a necessity of helping others as a self-accomplishment. We know what it means when we had feel fullness of being part of something.

I learned to survive in this world across the thought. I am bookish. You can be overwhelmed by how much passion do I have for knowing of little things that don’t matter for the total. But you know what Chinese Proverb says:

The flapping of a butterfly can be felt on the other side of the world

That’s the “Butterfly Effect”, and we have to feel as an altruist not just happy about looking the wellness: also we feel sadness and with a fever of negativity.

It’s a fact, an altruist is always looking to fix things for better. But we cannot change if we don’t go through a process of criticism of the pre-existing world. We need ideas to make the world a better place. And I’m very sure that needs a lot of darkness to get to the light.

Some of us altruistic are not stupid. Many times I have heard that people like us tell “I’m realistic” and that’s for them a free-pass of truthness. But it isn’t. We don’t have to look as Trotsky says in his theory, being always an “agitator”. The changing way is not the waiting of the messiah. I believe in all of them, but they place in the world was to bring to the earth a message, but it doesn’t mean that they are the message.

We have to feel, wherever we live, and whoever we stay; that we are making the right thing for the right person. Though it just takes us a few moments or complete life.

Right now I feel impotency, because I cannot help my friend as much I could want. But for an altruist we have to try not to be devoured by our ego, It would be lost the fight against selfishness. That’s part of it, the waiting is sometimes the best way of helping. We have in Costa Rica, a very reminder phrase an author of last century, he says:

All the stars have already left. But it never gets darker than when it’s going to dawn — Isaac Felipe Azofeifa