Am I altruistic?

613:

What I want for myself I also want for others - is this altruism or is this un-realism?  I feel a bit stuck with the old meaning of altruism, with its very ‘Western-Christian-Good-Bad’ associations. I think we have to turn this dull, difficult notion into something interesting. A ‘new’ altruism wouldn’t be me-centred or you-centred but a sensible balance between the two, and something with one eye on the future and one eye on the ‘now’. I think there’s something profoundly satisfying in making our own contribution for the betterment of future life, and it doesn’t need to be uncomfortable or bring us any glow or praise; it’s simply a constructive approach that makes our day seem worthwhile.

Altruism itself is leading us towards a more efficient way of interacting with our internal-personal environment and the external-collective one. But it insists on the central question as to whether it works or not - am I convinced by it or not? If I am, if it does work, then the next step is to see how genuine we are about it by looking to see if it exists in our relationships. You might ask what it is, between you and your partner, that makes your partner’s welfare always more important than your own. It’s the same question you could ask of any love-based human to human relationship. But now, step across the species barrier. Is it the same loving feeling we have about animals? Not only with our own companion animals at home, with whom we already have a relationship, but strangers, unseen animals, innocent creatures who aren’t allowed a decent life of their own. Why would you condone the abuse of them? Or again, why would you put yourself out for them? What’s in it for me? You could say - I can’t save all these millions of animals. I can’t be expected to feel the same sort of love for pigs and chickens as I do for my dog. But then altruism isn’t about that same sort of love, perhaps it’s simply about not doing unto others what you wouldn’t want done to you.

Ultimately - why would you want to become vegan? Why would you want to do that to yourself? But you could equally ask yourself, why not?