An Altruistic Thought

al·tru·ism

noun Definition: 1. selflessness: an attitude or way of behaving marked by unselfish concern for the welfare of others

2. belief in acting for others’ good: the belief that acting for the benefit of others is right and good

Altruism is certainly considered one of mankinds better moments. That seems unarguable. But, is it?

I have no argument with the ideal. What I question is how good we are at being ‘our brother’s keeper’ and if politics is the proper vehicle for doing altruistic works.

The UIGEA is an altruistic act. It seeks to protect us from our inherent baseness. I will confess that I am not a perfect individual. Most would say I’m far from that ideal. I do gamble; I smoke. I don’t recommend the later to anybody. In fact, you’re dumb as a rock if you do.

But, altruism rears its head all over. It is doing it a lot this election year. People are talking about this or that – much of it war related. It is a divisive issue and all have their collection of facts to bolster their argument. Sounds highly altruistic, right? Well, like the UIGEA, sometimes it is all quite as it seems. If something was broke under Rumsfeld – in retrospect what wasn’t we usually think – it remains broken today.

The 12^th is Veteran’s Day and the 10^th was the anniversary of the founding of the Marine Corp. Both impact my thoughts. It is said that 1500 of those who’ve returned are in the category of homeless. That means more to me at this time than all the political rhetoric from both side. Where is the altruism here folks?

It was brought home when I visited one of my favorite war sites. That is Michael Yon’s blog. He just won an award for top war blog and nobody says it isn’t deserved. The announcement links his competitors. And they link any number of similar blogs. You can follow the bouncing ball across the breadth and depth of both Iraq and Afghanistan. It is ivory tower views. The guys can get graphic and some of that is damn scary. But, I failed to find a war blogger who’s there agreeing with the perceptions most of us have based on our media or politicians. That doesn’t smack of altruism.

Much of the past isn’t a shining moment. The errors have been frequent and often atrocious. But, do we maintain the past when it seems less important than the present. I guess you do if that past conforms to your altruistic standards – be they right or wrong.

Click on the blog above and wander the net from those links. Make up your own mind. This isn’t the UIGEA but it is something from the mold.

I think I may have figured out altruism. I don’t really practice it well or know, close up, any that do. It is practiced best by the young men in our Armed Forces.

Happy Veteran’s Day to all Citizen Soldiers!

ADDENDUM:

Get the lead out is a new cry at the poker tables. Seems the state of Arizona had the chips used at our casinos analyzed and the results showed dangerous surface amount of a chip ingredent – lead. It won’t keep us from a nice session at the tables but it is a long term problem for the regulars and employees that are handling them on a regular basis.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 11th, 2007 at 4:15 pm and is filed under Journal, Off Topic. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.