Altruism and Selfishness
Altruism is defined as the willingness to do things that bring advantages to others, even if it results in disadvantage for yourself. Selfishness is defined as the quality of thinking only to your advantage.
Recently, I watched a show called Parasyte, where it was argued that the act of altruism is inherently selfish. It seems contradictory at the first glance, but it makes sense once you think deeply. Humans preserve the natural environment not to save the earth — but to save themselves. Humans rescue and domesticate animals not only because we feel for them or understand their pain (another debate might be: how can humans believe that they understand the pain or joy of other species?) but because we lonely creatures require company.
At a glance, altruism seems like a trait each human being should have. Helping nature is encouraged widely. Doing something that simply brings advantages to others is not wrong, but it loses its credibility if there’s a hidden motive. For example, it is argued that if you refrain from doing bad things only due to the fear of God, does that really make you a good person?
Personal retrospection also shows the same pattern. There was once a time when a friend in the room adjacent to me was sick. We were just classmates, and I was more close to my own roommate. However, I chose to help the friend in the other room, and dedicated most of my time and worry for her.
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From the outside, this might feel like an altruistic act. I felt that way as well. But this is only half the story. My roommate was actually going to be away for a trip for about a week soon, and I realised I’d be pretty lonely when she left. I helped the girl next door in hopes that she’d get closer to me and I won’t feel lonely when my own roommate left.
Yes, I had a selfish reason for helping her. Would you still call my act altruistic?
A better example would be when people say “help someone without expecting something in return”. You help a homeless kid on the road. On the surface, you got nothing in return. But, we all know you get a sense of satisfaction. Even that satisfaction seems harmless, but sometimes it is a twisted form of satisfaction — the feeling that you’re superior to the homeless kid, you have the liberty to help someone.
When you help someone, do you really not get anything in return? Is the satisfaction you get not feeding into your ego? If you didn’t receive that satisfied feeling, would you bother to extend a helping hand? Again, has the act of helping always been selfish? When we’re young, we only help others because that’s what our parents tell us: help others and you’ll be a good person. Or, that quote: God helps those who help others. Do you only help others because you want God to help you back?
Is there really no act done by humans that does not benefit them? Is each and every human act selfish? We dare to love another, only so that they might love us back. If you always knew that he/she would never reciprocate your love, would you even make an effort? Did we create the word altruism for our selfish satisfaction?
Human beings are complex, and we spend our entire lives trying to understand ourself and our own species.
