I Like Good People

A mother devotes her life to providing an education for her daughter. A soldier jumps on a live grenade to save his comrades. Directed by his strong moral compass, Captain America fights and dies for what is right. I idolized these altruist heroes sacrificing themselves for others. Powerful heroes that defend the weak and the meek. Our society praises and admires these acts of heroism.

Yet strangely, for all this idolization, the world is a pretty selfish place. Few people donate more than a tiny percent of their income or volunteer on a consistent basis. Kindness is focused on the few people we know resulting in nepotism and elitism. Sacrifice is a feature of entertainment not reality.

The entire population preaches and searches for virtues they fail to hold themselves. Selflessness and kindness and fairness in others is great….for me. Someone who is willing to put others before themselves is someone I want to have around. If my leader promotes fairness and equality, then that is a great virtue when I come asking for help. I love and praise these kinds of people. They are so good…..for me.

Can I also have a side of activism and eco-friendliness in the population? I hear climate change is becoming a problem and someone should deal with it. Not me, I have other things I care about. But you go on ahead and I’ll catch up. Or maybe I can just meet you at the finish line with a bottle of water and a smile. My hero!