We are really blinded to the view that we see everything as how it first affects us, instead of what the loving thing to do would be.
I get it. People have to take care of their needs and that can be a challenge for people. However I have seen that even poor people whos needs are not met, help others and that to me is amazing.
It isn’t that poor people want to suffer, it is that they care about others and they know what suffering is like. If a little bit of suffering for them is ok, then want to reduce it for the people that they love. I have seen this first hand. I have been without a job and only survived by the kindness of others at one point in my life. That community helped me to survive a tough transition. I felt indebted to that community and so I helped them for a long time, and stayed longer than I should have.
This article isn’t about me though. It is just an example to share that if we live our live only through the lens of what helps ourself, we miss a great deal. We miss the ability to see life through other peoples point of view. To be able to empathize and help others. To be generous and kind, and to know that your effort made a positive difference in someones life.
Can you imagine that your life can make the world a better place? It can. People have lived lifes that have been purposeful and focused. They saw a higher calling in loving others with real concrete works. Being an activist isn’t just supporting causes you believe in. It is also doing concrete and real things that make an immediate difference in others lives. If you only support theoretical improvements like changes to law, but don’t give your hungry neighbor food, your love is quite little.
We don’t love others because we have to. We love them because they deserve it and we want to. If you have to be prodded into a kind deed, it was useless for your soul.