Altruism is alive and well in America today. And it is killing us as a nation.
Some of you are ready to throw a brick through your computer right now. But, wait. Hear me out on this one.
I, too, could be considered altruistic on some issues. I've even been called a "Pollyanna" once in my life, by a man who is lucky to still be alive after expressing his very misplaced dig during a church committee meeting.
But, enough about my long-held grudge.
Altruism is a recently coined term, circa 1853, by the French philosopher Auguste Comte. And the key to that is that Auguste was a PHILOSOPHER, meaning he looked at things from a very high-level, not necessarily considering reality.
In its purest form, altruism is the lack of selfishness. And, in that sense, it is hard to see how that could be bad.
But, consider that altruism looks out for the good of others, who are considered by the moral compass of those who are altruists, without necessarily looking out for the true GOOD of others.
To phrase another way: when an altruist with a heart for the poor sees a poor person, they immediately want to step in and feed that person. That, in and of itself, is wonderful.
However, when the goal is to feed the poor, without regard for WHY the person is in that place, altruism spins out-of-control. It tries to feed everyone who claims to be poor, even those with the means to help themselves.
True help for the poor brings them to a place of self-sufficiency and, in turn, to a place of compassion for the less fortunate. This is the "pay-it-forward" concept, one I am so head-over-heels in love with that it makes the hairs on my body stand up when I think about a world where this idea took root.
Altruism stops at the point of feeding. It feels sorry, it applies a moral compass of "that is wrong", it begs and often shames others to feel the same moral outrage, and then it puts a band-aid on the problem, without worrying that the problem is going to continue, often for generations into the future.
If seen through to completion, altruism results in results. It sees the poor and strives to teach them the skills to move away from being poor and sticks with them until that is accomplished.
Sadly, our government is sinking in its altruism at the moment. Throwing money at problems has never solved them. A check coming from a nameless, faceless location can't give a hug and educate and motivate. It can simply buy a few groceries.
Projections for 2026 show our altruism with Social Security, which has become the modern man's "retirement program" (something it was NEVER created to be), Medicare/Medicaid, and the servicing of our national debt will exceed our national revenue; for the first time in American history, what we take in won't cover what we have to give out.
That is a grim fact. It is a political bombshell. And, it is a matter that altruists everywhere will scream about, asking how people could be so callous to cut programs for the elderly, underemployed, and uninsurable.
Yet reality, stares us in the face. And I think the reality is that we have to learn, as a nation, to stop counting on our government to be altruistic. And learn that private funding from people, face-to-face, is what could potentially save us.
We also have to face this reality: while altruism feels good, seems good, and does do some to help people in the short term, it also places the responsibility for helping people squarely on the shoulders of other people. It clearly takes God out of the equation. It refuses to admit that God has this under control, that scripture states we will always have poor among us*, and that we have to take responsibility for ourselves. That doesn't mean we don't help; it means we help in ways that are life-altering, personal, and not through the mechanism of the government.
What can you do in your little corner of the world? How can you personally offer a hand-up?
It may start with your own budget. Increase that bit of money you are saving for retirement today so, tomorrow, you can use your social security check to bless others, instead of waiting for it to pay your monthly grocery bills.
Talk with your kids about self-sufficiency. Teach them compassion for those who've fallen on hard times but teach them that a loving God expects man to work and strive and find his way out of the pits, with help from others but mostly from GOD.
Start a program in your community or at your church on in your synagogue designed to help those with the most basic of needs: vitamins, immunizations, check-ups. As a country, we are extraordinarily generous with these things abroad, but what about here in Dallas? There is need RIGHT HERE.
It will take a small spark to create a big flame on this issue. And, from the state of our federal government at the moment, I don't think they can even strike the match.
It must start with US. It should start in our churches. It should be God-focused.
Be the spark. Light the fire. Be the one who kick-starts life for another. And park your altruism at the front door as you leave, replacing it with God's will for your life and the lives of those you will touch. You can't do it all**, but you can do something. What will that something be???
Just that one little shift in our philosophy can be the match that lights this world on fire for doing God's will.
One step, one person, one prayer at a time.
With God's help, we can do this.
*Which I think is to keep those of us with means humble and helpful.
**Which reminds me of the heart-rending scene at the end of Schindler's List where Schindler laments the fact that he couldn't do more. Do so much that, at the moment you have completed the journey, you are satisfied that you've completed the tasks God set before you.
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