ALTRUISM

From My Perspective - - -

In the ebb and flow of life, as one shuffles from place to place, it appears that altruism is either lost in our culture or shoved so far into the background that it is no longer recognizable. If it was implemented in practical ways, much of the dialogue and posturing with which we have become all too familiar would no longer be relevant. We would be doing and being what we should have always been doing and being. Altruism (according to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary) is: “Regard for others, both natural and moral; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness; -- opposed to egoism or selfishness…” The American Heritage Science Dictionary defines it as: Instinctive cooperative behavior that is detrimental or without reproductive benefit to the individual but that contributes to the survival of the group to which the individual belongs…”

A Headline in the UK Newspaper, The Guardian emblazons: “37 Million Poor Hidden In The Land Of Plenty…” The story-line continues: “Americans have always believed that hard work will bring rewards, but vast numbers now cannot meet their bills even with two or three jobs. More than 1 in 10 citizens live below the poverty line, and the gap between the haves and have-nots is widening…That is 12.7 per cent of the population - the highest percentage in the developed world…Each year since 2001 their number has grown…” There are similar reports from other places… In France, “The number of poor people in metropolitan France was estimated at 7.9 million, which is equal to about 13.2 percent of the total population… From the India Post News Service comes a report – August 8, 2008 -“Poverty falls in India, but number of poor increases…The Poverty rate in India has dramatically declined although the number of poor has increased in 20 years up to 2005, according to new World Bank economic estimates. As per the revised estimates for India, the percentage of people living below the $1.25 a day decreased from 60 percent in 1981 to 42 percent in 2005. Even at a dollar a day (2005 prices), poverty has declined from 42 percent to 24 percent over the same period….” The statistics are dramatic from India – the numbers (instead of percentages) would be – 600 million down to 429 million; down to 240 million…

What if an old form of assisting the poor followed the philosophy of: “If you give a man a fish, he can eat for one day. If you teach him how to fish, he can feed himself the rest of his life.” I appreciate the ministry service and philosophy of Food For The Hungry. On their webpage (http://www.fh.org) they state what they do and what their goals are: “FOOD SECURITY - Transferring farming technologies to increase agricultural production, promoting forestry, soil conservation and water conservation… ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - Micro-enterprise, irrigation, natural resource management, education, water & sanitation, community health. HEALTH - Preventing malnutrition, illness, and poor sanitation practices; performing health assessments and administering first-aid treatment; training and educating local health-care representatives…” They go beyond mere food distribution. They seek to challenge people to stretch themselves beyond their situation and circumstance so they can produce for themselves.

Consider these things with me - - - and remember the words of Jesus Christ to the morally upright man who ran up to Him in Mark 10:17 through 31, (Vs, 21-23) Jesus looked at him and loved him. One thing you lack…Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me. At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” Personal Altruism would have you provide a meal for a hungry person; share a warm jacket with someone who is cold; give a drop of water to one who is thirsty; assist one who is desperate and at wits end. Don’t do it just to practice altruism. Do it because it is the right thing to do and what Jesus did throughout His earthly ministry. What if your family brought a 20 lb. Turkey to a family that had no Thanksgiving meal – would your children learn anything by that deed? Would that family be nourished and thankful? Would Jesus Christ be honored and pleased? You know that He would! Would you be blest and rewarded because of it? Try it and see!