We can acquire selfless altruism to become similar to Nature
Question from the Internet:
“I feel the most altruistic beliefs and acts ultimately have selfishness at its core even if they are very well cloaked. Aren’t we always doing something for our own self interests for the now, karma or hereafter? Can true altruism exist?”
You are completely right. By default we are incapable of true altruism.
Our original program that drives us is fully self-serving, self-justifying, individualistic and subjective. All our calculations are based on an egocentric “pleasure/pain” principle which means that we can’t even move a finger if we don’t expect some selfish benefit, reward, positive feedback for it.
Most people are unaware of this software driving us and they honestly believe that they are capable of selfless acts, true concern, care, support for others. They are not to blame. Our ego is extremely sophisticated to cover its tracks and make us believe in our “positive qualities”.
The problem is that whole true altruism is not in us and it seems impossible to attain, this is exactly what Nature is demanding from us right now.
Nature’s system is totally altruistic, selfless as all elements - just like the cells, organs in our bodies - exist, work only for the sake of the whole collective, system, and they make no calculations beyond their very basic necessities, sometimes even sacrificing themselves for the perpetual survival of the system.
And since Humanity is integral part of Nature as one of the species, and since Nature’s evolution is relentlessly progressing towards its predetermined goal of most optimal integration, we will have to somehow acquire the quality of true, selfless altruism, so we can build Nature-like integration in Human society and between Humanity and Nature.
Fortunately we have a selfless, altruistic program in us - like a dormant DNA - that isn’t activated by default. After all we are born from Nature, we are “created” by Nature, thus as a result we shall have Nature’s original qualities in us. But by default that natural software is overshadowed, suppressed by the unique Human egoism, individualism, thrive to overcome, exploit others.
So the task for our generation is to start a completely new, this time conscious Human development, learning how to activate, initiate Nature’s selflessly altruistic inner program inside of us. Then this program - when we use it collectively, together, while attaching ourselves to evolution’s flow - can balance, neutralize the selfish, egotistic program that has been instinctively driving us so far.
This very unique, unparalleled duality is our Human advantage over the whole Natural system. This duality, the contrast between the original egotistic nature and the activated new, Natural program will give us a total understanding of how Nature works and what our unique evolutionary role is in Nature.