This video, about altruism, is fascinating. (I think) Have you noticed how some people “step up to the plate” in crisis, while others shrink into the background, not wanting to get their hands dirty, so to speak?
I sure have thought about it over the years, but have lots of questions…
Birds of a Feather
Do birds of a feather flock together? Are altruists drawn to each other, or do opposites attract? Is altruism a personality trait or due to a component of your brain? Are they one and the same? Some personality traits appear to be genetic, but are they instead merely learned behaviour? So many questions.
Can we Change?
If you are not altruistic, can you become so? If so, how? By hanging out with other altruists or are there mental exercises to train your brain? Vice versa, if you are an altruist, can you become less so if you surround yourself with less altruistic people? Or just frustrated?
One good thing about this pandemic we are gripped by is that it has forced (many of) us to be more introspective. Forced to accept change, we should be realizing by now that the most valuable things in life are not material, but connections with other people.
Who, not what, do you miss the most?
