Altruism Defined

The parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.[1] It is about a traveller who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead alongside the road. First a priest and then a Levite comes by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a Samaritan happens upon the traveller. Samaritans and Jews despise each other, but the Samaritan helps the injured man. Jesus is described as telling the parable in response to the question from a lawyer, "And who is my neighbour?". In response, Jesus tells the parable, the conclusion of which is that the neighbor figure in the parable is the man who shows mercy to the injured man—that is, the Samaritan." From The wikipedia aticle.

Even if they are your enemy, an act of kindness and love given towards these people expresses the true meaning of altruism. Most religions express altruism as part of their religion — "Love your neighbor as thyself". This doesn’t come easy with so much hate in the world these days.

When individuals help others without any expectation of a reward or recognition, they are truly blessed. They help humanity anonymously and they feel happy and fulfilled as true human beings. Recent studies suggest a strong correlation between health, happiness and even longevity in people who are compassionate to others.

Most people are not altruistic by nature but have some degree of altruism when they donate to charitable organizations.

Some people just want to help others and so, the volunteer is born. You'll find these people everywhere, doing things for no monetary return — just for the pure satisfaction of having helped. This especially holds true during times of disaster. We believe it is in mankind's nature to help people.

There are people who should truly be commended for their unselfish giving (for example, those that always give blood during times of need). There are also those that take it one step further and literally offer pieces of themselves (kidney, liver, bone marrow, stem cell, lung, etc.,) all donating parts or whole organs to complete strangers. Not only are these donors unselfish, but they also undergo certain medical procedures that could be painful and dangerous to their health. Nevertheless they do it for the good of mankind.

When one life ends another life can be saved and thankfully there are those who wish to help, even after their death. More and more people these days are signing their organ donor forms. Giving a heart, eyes, and various organs to another human being is a final gift, but it's also a gift of life. A person that hears their loved one's heart beating in another person still feels that connection, even through sorrow.