Altruism 050605

When is the last time you heard the word "altruism" or "altruistic"?
The Collins dictionary definition of altruism is: "principle of living and acting for good of others"
The last time I seriously considered the concept of altruism was about 25 years ago when I was studying for my psychology degree. It was mentioned in the work of Abraham Maslow if I recall correctly, as being one of the higher values human beings aspire to before the stage of self-actualisation or self-realisation. I might be wrong in this detail but I am certain that I made a decision to be altruistic as a result of reading that psychological material.
So I was quite shocked to realise that it has been so long since I have had a serious discussion or contemplation about a principle that is so fundamentally important to me in terms of aspiration and direction in life.
The catalyst that stimulated the re-emergence of the principle of "altruism" into my consciousness is a conversation I had a couple of days ago with a friend. She is married to a handicapped person and has been unhappy for most of their married life (he became handicapped a couple of years into the marriage) She is on the verge of divorcing her husband after a romantic extra-marital liaison with someone she met while on holiday alone.
Of course I wish the best for my friend and am pleased that she has found happiness at last but I compared her to another friend of mine that is similarly unhappy in her marriage with a handicapped man (he too became handicapped a few years after marriage). The second friend will never divorce her husband as the extended family structure is much too strong to allow for any selfishness in the pursuit of personal happiness.
As I contemplated the very different cultural contexts of my two friends, I came up with the word "altruism" to describe the actions of the woman who will stay with a man in order to fulfil her duty and thereby comply with the altruism principle of "living and acting for the good of others"
There are many key ingredients in the long term maintenance of relationships: unwavering commitment; trust; patience; faith; love through trials and tribulations.....perhaps ALTRUISM is fundamental to all of these?
What is YOUR driving force in life? Are you conscious of the deepest forces of nature that are guiding your thoughts, behaviour and impact in the world?
How altruistic is your life; your work endeavours; your business?
If you are fascinated by the topic of altruism, you will be pleased to know that there are millions of articles about the subject on the internet. There are even articles about "altruistic economics". Visit this website for more information:
Altrui sts International

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