altruism and effectiveness

It's not solely in our own interests that we act.
Assuming we do have a touch of faith about us (in the power of change) we should seize every opportunity. We can’t expect our leaders to lead us. It’s up to us, ordinary people, repairing things wherever we can. We should not doubt our own power to make a difference. The changes we might make are not always about ‘me’ anyway. The difficulty we have, isn’t in not knowing what to do; but in not daring to do it! It’s about the interests of others as well as our own - altruism and effectiveness. We want both, but they seem to be opposed. So how can we marry them? How do we make altruism effective and effectiveness altruistic? Perhaps the answer lies in the examples we set as individuals. As we let an example define who we are, we help to bring about the collective ‘good example’ that encourages others to follow, setting up a self-perpetuating impulse throughout our society. By sowing seeds and encouraging growth, people-powered change will occur. We're doing it for the greater good.