The sole source of peace in families, countries and the world is altruism – love and compassion.

The sole source of peace in families, countries and the world is altruism – love and compassion. – Dalai Lama

Parents are unselfish with their young children. What if we were all that unselfish with each other? I know it’s a bit idealistic, but we can still work towards that end.

What does that mean?
Altruism is an interesting word. According to TheFreeDictionary.com, it means “Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness.” So, this ‘altruism’ is supposed to be the source of peace not only in families, but in countries and in the world? Let’s examine that, shall we?

The opposite of peace, conflict, arises from differences of opinion and from people having different needs. Altruism, the selfless and unselfish concern for others, helps by making you decisions while including the needs of other people. Can you see how that might be related to achieving peace in the family?

What about countries and the whole wide world? How does altruism impact this national and world stages? Imagine, if you would, a world where enlightened self-interest spread throughout the land. Everyone’s decision-making process included the impact it would have on others in their nation and in the world.

To me, that is the idea the quote is promoting. Yes, it is sheer idealism, at least on the larger scales. But on the national and international levels, the best treaties, the most effective relationships are based on altruism. It is a goal to strive for, as individuals and as a world.

Why is being unselfish important?  
Here, I mean that we should be other than selfish, where selfish is used in the most negative context. There is such a broad definition of selfish and unselfish that I thought I’d try to make that clear. For the purpose of this post, unselfish is not self-centered and greedy.

By being unselfish, we can consider what impact our decisions would have on others. Note that this is not the same as allowing others to dictate what we can or cannot do. That would be giving up our personal sovereignty, which is not acceptable. But we can find ways of taking care of ourselves which do not hurt others.

In contrast, selfish rule would be like a bunch of two year-olds fighting over toys on the playground. To me, that’s not good when the toddlers control armies and nuclear weapons. As a world, we need more altruism if we are to see the dawning of the next century.

Where can I apply this in my life?
Well, the quote starts us out in the family group, so let’s start there. What is the source of most squabbles, arguments, or fights in your family? For mine (both as an adult and as a kid) it was usually things that were done without giving sufficient thought to the repercussions on others in the family.

Yes, there were discussions about politics, religion, and current events. But those, even when the differences of opinion were strong, were still peaceful. If they aren’t peaceful in your family, then someone (or multiple someones) feel threatened by the opinion of another, right?

By keeping the needs and feelings of others in mind, you stand a better chance of finding the things to say that will not cause them hurt. Sometimes it is better not to discuss topics about which certain people will become irrational. That’s part of why politics and religion are often avoided, right?

How about the discussions regarding what to have for dinner? Ever had someone who suggested something that you strongly dislike? Did they know better? Were they being unselfish, or were they being mean? Even if it was their favorite thing to eat, there was probably something else in their top ten favorite things which you also like, right?

Now, have *you* ever been that other person? What was the reason you were doing it? Were you trying to get even or annoy the other person? Did your action serve to increase the peace or decrease the peace in your family? Do you regret your action, even if they did deserve it?

You have to decide which is more important, peace, love, and compassion within your family, or keeping score. As long as you are being selfish and keeping score, you will not be working in an altruistic manner, and your family will feel the impact of your decision in their level of peace and harmony.

While the quote does imply that we start at home, the proper place to start is within ourselves, right? Consider how you have behaved in the past. What are your high and low points? Consider what you can do to help make the high points happen more often, and the low points less often.

If you’re like me, you saw that showing love and compassion, as well as being unselfish were key components to achieving these objectives, right? Now all you have to do is determine how you will go about making these thoughts part of your normal decision-making process, right?

Make altruism part of your life. Make it a habit to be unselfish and to show love and compassion to others.

From: Twitter, @DalaiLama
confirmed at : it’s from his own feed…
Photo by makelessnoise

About philosiblog

I am a thinker, who is spending some time examining those short twitter quotes in greater detail on my blog.
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