The
poor, the sick, the out-of-work. The
mentally ill, the destitute, the
addicted. The weak, the oppressed, the imprisoned.
Victims of disasters.
The police and fire departments that help the victims of disasters.
Able and
disabled veterans. The very old and the very very young.
There are people out there that just simply need help.
Critics of altruism and altruistic action argue that it undermines the well-being of the self and is antithetical to the capitalist ideal which has brought man to a point of social, intellectual and technological supremacy.
But sometimes, that is not what matters. What matters is a meal, or a bed, or antibiotics, or a blood transfusion for another human being. In fact, not sometimes, but all the time, it is the basic human needs of others that is much greater than my need for another helping of steak, or a bigger hard drive, or a better car, or a new cell phone. I don't NEED any of these things as much as other people need food, clothing, shelter and simple medical care.
No matter what pains I endure to acquire luxuries and comforts, I surely do not deserve as much as every person deserves to live in relative health and safety.
Ok, sorry about that
rant, it was a little
heavy. What I'm getting at is that its easy to lose sight of what one really needs in life, to forget how simple and inexpensive those things are, and to believe that providing those things for others is not important.
Peace, man.