On Altruism – T.S. Eliot wrote, the last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason. 

The concept of altruism (an unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others) echoes closely the principal of Selfless Service – one of the seven principals I’ve stated that I intend to live by.  The key word is: intend. Altruism is an admirable notion but one that I believe is ultimately unachievable.  It requires perfect purity of intent and deed.  Unfortunately, as imperfect human beings, I believe we are incapable of creating or doing anything perfect. 

As I stated above, a great many of my opinions were shaped by the Christian environment in which I was raised.  If my Dad said it once, he said a million times: Don’t ask for rewards when you do good deeds.  You will get your reward in Heaven.  He truly believed that and he did many good deeds in his short life.  He was an honest and decent man.  Mom said many times after he died that he should have been sainted.  Yet, even he was incapable of altruism.  He believed wholeheartedly in his God and that being a faithful servant of that God would earn him a place in Heaven.  It was his devotion to the approval of his God that drove him. 

I however have no afterlife, no Heaven to look forward to.  So, why then do I consistently choose to do good deeds and strive toward a goal (selfless service) I’ve stated that I honestly believe is unattainable?  Not because it’s what people expect of me, but because it’s what I demand of myself.  Is this Altruism or Self-Righteous Moral Superiority?  Neither.  I think, in all honesty it’s probably just fear.  I’m not too arrogant or egotistical to admit it.  I’m afraid and (as I discovered very young) fear is a powerful motivator.  But, afraid of what you might ask?  Certainly not God or the Devil, as an Atheist neither of those concepts pose any threat or motivation to me.  Not Jail or Prison - those who know me well have learned (if nothing else) that punishment is never an adequate deterrent.  What then do I fear?  My greatest fear in life is loosing my parents.  I know; they’re already dead.  However, what they left behind is what I still hold on to: A legacy of morality.

Albert Pine wrote:  What we do for ourselves dies with us.  What we do for others and world remains and is immortal.  Never was that quote more true than when applied to my parents.  My parent’s deeds (regardless of their misguided religious motivation) do live on in this world.  Their immortality is in the lessons and morality they instilled in me before they died.  To maintain their immortality and keep them in my heart, I must continue to live by their example.  I know there is no Heaven waiting for me.  All that remains is what I leave behind.  So, I perpetuate their legacy.  Clearly, it’s a decidedly less than Altruistic attitude.  However, if I leave my corner of the world a better place than I found it, my parents will be in the good (positive energy) that remains.