Altruism: It's hip! But is it genuine?

It's hip and trendy to be altruistic in today's world of modern western thinking but is it real?

First off let's define for those that aren't aware, Altruism according to Google:
disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.
"some may choose to work with vulnerable elderly people out of altruism"

In modern western society, we live in a culture of altruism - where it is looked at with favour to do good to others and be selfless, and where obvious outward selfishness is looked down upon. How much of this trend in culture is actually real though? We take care of handicapped people, we love to take in a rescued dog, yet our respect for homeless people is paper thin unless you're a celebrity that is donating publicly to an institution.

Refugees are the next hot topic as it's so wonderful how many western societies push this issue underneath the cover of 'preserving national identity' or 'pretending they aren't human.' Yet, we care... don't we? We care... right? We wouldn't want to be seen as not caring...

The constant requirement of outward show of doing good for others within our everyday lives exposes a very familiar mentality - If I don't see it, and/or I can't be seen doing this good thing and it meaning something to my social status; I don't care -- aka Out of sight, out of mind. If there is a dying person in front of us, in the visible presence of those in our culture, we would have no hesitation to care for that person no matter who it is. Yet, we're quite happy to just let the system and its trickle up effect (the deeper cause of our shared issues of inequality) remain.

The blurry grey area of classless-ism is one of the greatest weapons of modern class warfare. Class and the class system still exist. Money still defines who a person is and how much freedom they have, yet we are raised within the belief systems of individuality and equality. Infact, by not being completely aware of what is going on and growing up in this world with these filters, we fail to grasp that the same power struggles that existed before 'equality' came along, exist today. They're just less visible.

It would appear from walking down a busy street in the centre of Copenhagen that all is well and life is precious. This trendy altruistic society projects and posters itself as freedom and equality yet it sends refugees to an island, just like Australia where children are abused ( https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/10/the-nauru-files-2000-leaked-reports-reveal-scale-of-abuse-of-children-in-australian-offshore-detention ).

The end of it is this: This new form of class society is just a re-arrangement of what already was, and before long it will find its way back to where it was again. This fuzzy veneer of an equal society will be pulled away like a curtain - made possible by a large middle-class population. As crisis increases and society is polarized, people with money will hold their hands in their pockets and people without will be forced to work like slaves; conform or die. The real fruit comes out when populations are tested by crisis.

The appearance of altruism is not altruism itself. It is true a level of selfish action is needed by the self in a survival situation. This is a given. But when everyone in a cashed up society collectively pulls their arms in and says, 'no, I have nothing to give you', and yet still claim to be altruistic - it just wreaks of elitism and self-entitlement.

Who decides who is better than another person?
Who decides who has better values?
Who decides who should live and die?

These are the decisions we are making now with our apathy. Our inaction is a choice to not care and this attitude translated into action is a recipe for the opposite of equality, freedom and altruism - these ideals we all hold so dearly.

We live in a contradiction. You wouldn't dare accuse a normal working class citizen of murder or abuse on no grounds, but when we have collectively decided on a system in which we believe the people are in control, effectively we ARE making these decisions. For now, this power to change resides in the hands of the people but an unaware population is not able to govern itself if given these rights.

Instead, this population is led along with media and sweetened tidbits and trained into habits that mimic an idea of equality but fall so short of the mark. The boundary of equality is only as strong and as defined as we the people make it. No where in history has the system just 'given' equal rights, they have all been fought for by angry people that stood up.

How many will look back and say, why didn't I do anything? Why couldn't I just trust that the government was working for my best interest? Why couldn't I trust that the people with money before this 'equal system' that cared little for those not in their ranks, were actually good people that want to do good for others?

The tipping point is coming and for many it will be a huge shock (the tipping point has already come for many already as well). The super-rich will make it through to the 'new aeon' in their palaces of light and the rest will be left to fend for themselves. The system will have served its purpose and will be folded up for evacuation when it is no longer useful. This unsustainable 'equal' society where everyone can feel like a king or a queen will be disposed of.

The choice and opportunity is dangled in front of our faces. There is free-will and we do have a choice, but only if we take it now. It will take hard-work to create an equal society but it is possible. The level of comfort we have become accustomed to will have to be reduced to a fraction of its former level but the sacrifice will be worth it in the long term.

There is no choice really, this is the only way.

The other path is one of ignorance. We will wish we did not claim ignorance when we are forced to walk that path.

We must face a smaller pain now willingly or face a greater pain later that will be forced on us.

How to change? Speak up. Find ways of doing things and interacting with others outside of the system. Increase conscious activity. Be mindful of your contribution to this society physically and mentally. Discuss ideas in the comments.

Edit 20/01/2019: An anonymous reply by email came thus:

Can you elaborate on what the 'tipping point' is? When do you think it's coming? How does altruism relate to it? It seems like there's a quick jump from questioning modern altruism to discussing societal collapse in this piece, but there isn't enough to explain how it fits together.

Reading this piece, especially in the second half, I felt it has the same energy that a lot of musings and articles from activists, intellectuals and empaths I know are all expressing, but you haven't cited the exact cause. Some themes are familiar: reduced comfort, the desire for equality, facing a difficult pain now to avoid pain later. Some people fear a collapse is coming because of climate change and impending ecological collapse, which can arguably now never be avoided or rectified, only mitigated like some terminal illness. Other people are concerned about the frivolousness of capitalism and its tendency to trap individuals in its systems by monopolizing resources and basic necessities, perpetuating the belief and the demand that people should work more to consume more in order to achieve stability/happiness. Both of these massive issues are heading towards a crash, but where does a crash come from in your mind?

We touched on the subject of altruism very briefly at that cafe recently and although I didn't fully understand your point of view (there wasn't enough time, it felt like), I remember mentioning that I believe altruism doesn't disappear in times of crisis, but rather it becomes more common. This is still a belief I stand behind. When I was younger, personal recounts and stories about both the World Wars and the collapse of the Soviet Union shared one thing in common: people got together in times of crisis, to rather share scarce resources and shelter than to see individuals starve and die. If that isn't altruism, then I don't know what is. The difference is, these kinds of acts aren't documented and they happen during moments when an individual has to make an instinctual choice. (Plenty of people make the morally wrong choice too - I won't deny that.) In the modern world, the type of 'altruism' we see usually comes from very privileged, blissfully unaware individuals who feel secure in the system. It isn't an instinctual choice: it's planned. To gain a better social status, etc.

Now that I think about it, I think it's important to distinguish between private, individual altruism and society's 'False Altruism'. I very much believe in the former and I understand why you'd criticize the latter.

False Altruism is an attempt to make society docile, in the same way that Green-washing or being overly-politically-correct is. It's a tool for putting on a charming face while behind the scenes, governments and companies alike engage in shady deals and bigotry and inhumane agreements carry on, just like they always have. False Altruism is used so that people will defend an individual or company in casual conversation, saying, "but they did X and X! Remember?" Celebrities, billionaires and politicians are only interested in altruism for the social and political perks that come with it. Long story short: It isn't genuine. Do you think society would rather see people remain docile, in order for the super-rich to better prepare themselves for a collapse?

I strongly agree with you that any type of societal collapse will be a shock to a lot of people. It's my biggest concern when I think about ecological collapse, for example. We live in an age of incredible comfort, ease, luxury, stimulation and distraction. I think there's something to be said about the level of comfort, particularly in the West, "where everyone can feel like a king or a queen", as you said. People feel like they are or could be like royalty - only, instead of owning land, people now usually rent it and the vast, vast majority of people are realistically "3 bad months away from being homeless, but never 3 good months away from being millionaires." Meanwhile, particularly in the US, empathy for billionaires' feelings is the new, big trend on social media, because so many people honestly believe they'll be billionaires too once they "make a big break".

The rich are already building bunkers, doomsday shelters, and self-sustaining farms (taking information from environmentalists, no less), buying out plots of land on islands, underground, or in countries like New Zealand as well as buying up natural resources like freshwater (including China buying out Australia's water, as you're likely already aware). It's not like the information is hidden, either; it's right in front of everyone. How do people turn a blind eye? How do you ignore that kind of elephant in the room??

My response:

The tipping point is that we still have the power in our hands to change this thing, although very briefly, and by being motivated by true altruism to truly live in an altruistic society, some major shifts are going to have to take place. We must first purify this definition of altruism. We must root out false altruism as you have rightly called it.

The issue here is not that people are not being altruistic but they have been led down a path of false altruism, believing they are actually assisting others the best they can but had the wool pulled over their eyes.

I don't know how people turn a blind eye to what is really going on, including the rich genuinely preparing for apocalypse. I suppose the pain of facing the fear to them is greater than the pain of actually changing. Possibly they fear that there is no solution and thereby it is better to not look into it at all and remain as ignorant as possible.

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