Altruistic Concern for Humanity

In the light of recent events the war between Palestanians and Isreal. The crimes that are comitted in the name of land, nationality, religion are shocking. As we are advancing and growing technilogically we are deprived from basic human qualities.

Unfortunely it is not easy for human beings to be truely human with genuine concern for others. Human’s behavior can be motivated by egoistic concerns which can be self serving or altruistic concerns for the betterment of society.

Many faith communities encourage altruistic values such as compassion, kindness, and mercy for the greater good of humanity. Common goals and adherence to altruistic values help them collaborate in constructing a healthy social environment. For example, Focus Hope is an organization based in Detroit. The objective of this organization is to eradicate racism and provide education and training to minority groups. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) are playing a critical role in building communities, encouraging social justice and equality, promoting interfaith dialogue, and providing aid in a humanitarian crisis.

Altruistic concern for humanity, often referred to as “humanitarianism,” is a deeply compassionate and selfless commitment to the well-being and welfare of all human beings. It involves a genuine desire to alleviate the suffering and promote the welfare of others, regardless of their backgrounds, circumstances, or affiliations. To promote and nurture altruistic tendencies we need a healthy social environment.

Creating a Healthy Social Environment

Have you ever questioned what kind of environment are we creating? what are we creating for future generations, what are we leaving behind as a legacy? what is our active involvement in creating a better society?

Moral philosophy emphasized by religious institutions establishes a sense of responsibility that transcends beyond personal to social responsibility. Most of the time Religious institutions enthusiastically promote philanthropic activities and altruistic values by offering services to the elderly, organizing events to collect funds, and providing assistance to those who are in need. For example, philanthropic organizations — local or international — such as the Red Cross, Erie Peace Initiative, Focus Hope, and Wisdom work in partnership with other organizations to form a social network, encourage interfaith, and interreligious dialogues, and build bridges for future collaboration. A research paper conducted by Anjali Pant, Thomas D. Kirsch, and R. Subbarao for Johns Hopkins’ Department of Emergency Medicine, in Baltimore, Maryland, states, “Faith-based organizations (FBOs) are recognized in the US as important partners in social programs across the country, and, since January 2001, have been supported by the federal government through the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives” (Kirsch, pant, and R. Subbarao 48–54). Ultimately, focusing on social cohesion and philanthropic benefits associated with religious institutions helps us establish that there is a correlation between religion and societal health.

Besides the active involvement of religious institutions in creating a social environment that contributes to societal health, the primary concern of religious dogmas and practices is the “spiritual evolution of humanity”. But are we evolving as a human race?

The main goal of religious and philosophical awareness that is highly encouraged throughout world religion is to inspire humanity to become truly human which is a personal responsibility of every individual.

According to Islamic Spirituality, both (male/female) have material and spiritual characteristics as well as existence. We as human beings have duality in human nature and have two dimensions of our life; the spiritual dimension is the highest dimension that connects our soul to God (Higher Power), and the lower dimension is an earthly dimension that connects us to the materialist world that is (egoistic) in nature.

This duality creates a battle within the human soul between good and evil that compels us to choose. Human beings are created with free will to choose between right and wrong and strengthen their spiritual life.

Freedom to choose is a God-given right, so we can develop and grow spiritually. It should be our conscious decision what we are choosing. By constantly choosing egoistic tendencies, such as war over peace, hatred over love, and selfishness over selflessness we are moving away from the spiritual dimension and failing others by acting immorally and selfishly. For our benefit causing harm to others, and inflicting social, emotional, and psychological pain.

This concept of battle within our soul is universal, and it is mentioned in the story, an old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil — he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

“The same fight is going on inside you — and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed. So, the question is, which wolf are we feeding — the one that strengthens our ego or the one that strengthens our spirit?

Here is my reflection on the recent humanitarian crisis, I feel part of the problem is that we have divorced spirituality from our secular life. Are we unable to distinguish between our true self and a false personality that is rooted in egoistic desires? Are we truly authentic in our dealings and interaction with others or are we motivated by selfish desires that benefit us? We as human beings have the potential to rise high as a human race. Unfortunately, we are not progressing as a human race. We may be progressing materially and have made technological advancements but as far as spiritual evolution we have failed by committing crimes against humanity and supporting such crimes that are violations of basic human rights.

We as human beings have made incredible progress; we are more advanced in various fields and technology than previous generations. Therefore, genocide is a thing of the past — the systematic extermination of a specific group of people or ethnic cleansing cannot happen in modern-day society because we are civil. Can we call ourselves a civilized nation?

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