WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT: Easy Altruism

F LoBuono

Altruism is a noun defined as

1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others (opposed to egoism)

It sounds wonderful, doesn't it? But, it also sounds kinda' hard, too, right? I mean, first, it takes practice. In other words, it doesn't necessarily come naturally. Then there are the other, tough words in the definition to contend with like unselfish, concern, and devotion. Sounds like a lot of hard work to me. And, lastly, we have to be mindful about the welfare of others. Jeez, that's asking an awful lot for someone else's benefit!

Well, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, that doesn't necessarily have to be the case. In fact, with a different mindset, it really can be the opposite.

Let's look at altruism in a different way, i.e. The Easy Way. Think about it as actually not giving a shit. See - it's SO EASY - especially the concern part. Let me give you a practical example: Gay Marriage. Instead of getting all worked up about what anyone is doing in the privacy of their own bedrooms one should simply not care - at all. It has no baring what-so-ever on your own behavior. So, once again, why should you give a shit for something that doesn't concern you? And, the best part? You don't have to even THINK about it. You just let it go.

This mindset can be applied to most life situations. You don't have to give a shit what clothes someone else wears, or how many piercings they have, or how many tattoos adorn their bodies, or how long their hair may be, or what color their skin is, or what level of education they have. You simply need not care. You may not have to support it but, at least, you shouldn't have to care about it - so don't. In fact, I think they coined a phrase that may be easier to understand than the subtleties of altruism:

LIVE, AND LET LIVE.

Now, let's go out there and not give a shit - in a good way.