Anonymous altruism. Engagement in acts which benefit
others at cost to yourself.
Anonymously. That is, without knowing who you are benefitting, and without them knowing the identity of their
benefactor. So what is so special about that? Well, if you look at the theories we have of
the evolution of altruism, you'll see this just shouldn't happen.
Generous,
self-sacrificing acts are made either because they benefit the actor's overall
reproductive fitness or else to continue or intiate
reciprocal altruism. In nature, 'altruism' is all about
trust, and
reputation, and
friendship. This is different. Anonymous altruism is completely
irrational from an evolutionary perspective. We just shouldn't do it.
And yet we can. And, in various diluted forms, we do it all the time. Every time we consider doing something
harmful (be it
tax evasion, petty
theft,
spitting out of a high window, or going on a
killing spree) and refrain - not because we fear getting
caught, or we worry what others might think, or because the act is proscribed by some
religious/
moral code, but simply because it
is harmful.
But of course what I've just described isn't what I mean by 'true' anonymous altruism. Opportunities for that are rare, and rarely exploited when they do exist. And that's a
shame. To me, at least, such acts are
symbolic of all the (often sadly overlooked) potential for
good in
human nature. They are the purest epression of the
beauty humanity is capable of. They are also (my hope is) hugely effective in strengthening bonds between
people, and in developing a recognition of the common humanity of humanity that crosses the borders of
nationality and
culture. And I know this is starting to sound like
Miss World's acceptance speech, but these things
are important and perhaps that's something our modern
irony-drenched world tends to cover up.
So this is, I guess, in the most peaceful possible sense, a
call to arms. Go forth and find ways to be altruistic anonymously, and to provide opportunities for others to be so, and see if we can't start a
quiet revolution of
peace,
love,
hope and
joy.