Hello, young friends!

Of late, the weather has changed a tad bit — there’s a nip in the air in the mornings, cold showers feel a little uncomfortable and the days have become shorter. Yes, autumn is upon us! The fragrance  of xewali flowers sweetens the air. This sweet fragrance reminds us that the festive season is upon us — soon we’ll welcome Goddess Durga who fought against evil, then we’ll celebrate the victory of good over evil on Dusherra and again next month we’ll celebrate the festival of lights to dispel darkness. And there’s one thing common about all these festivals — victory of good over evil, justice over injustice, light above darkness... So the message is clear — we should strive to do good and call out injustice. And this applies not only during the festive season but also in our everyday interactions.

You might wonder how to do good and why. Have you heard of the term ‘altruism’? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others.” Thus, altruism basically means doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to help out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons. It involves acting out of concern for the well-being of other people without any expectations of reward. So, altruism is a great way to do good in our day-to-day lives — be it small acts of kindness like holding the door for strangers to big acts like giving money to people in need. 

As children, you just need to focus on the little acts of goodness. For example, it’s festive season and you might have a lot of unused/unopened stationery items you might have received as gifts on your birthday or on other occasions. You could give some of these to your domestic help’s child(ren) or any other needy children in your neighbourhood. Another way of doing good would be to share food with people who help you every day such as the watchman, dhobi, etc. During the festive season, elaborate meals are cooked in everyone’s houses. So why not share some of the food with those around you who are probably living away from their families to earn their livelihood? 

Also remember that altruism is not limited to just helping people. It includes helping animals too. Be kind to animals around you but don’t touch stray animals as they might bite or scratch you. You can be kind from afar too. For example, you should not pelt stones at them or hurt them.

Now you might ask me why it is important to display altruism in our everyday lives. Well, although altruism is all about helping others, it actually helps us too. Altruism activates reward centres in the brain. Neurobiologists have found that when a person behaves altruistically, the pleasure centres of his or her brain become more active. Thus, altruism has a wide range of benefits such as:

Good health: Practising altruism can improve physical health in a variety of ways. People who volunteer have better overall health.

Better mental well-being: Doing good things for other people can make you feel good about yourself and the world. Research shows that people experience increased happiness after doing good things for other people.

Dispels negative feelings: Altruistic acts may help alleviate the negative feelings associated with seeing someone in distress. Seeing others in trouble causes us to feel upset or uncomfortable, but helping them reduces these negative feelings.

Now that you know that altruism is a positive force for those around you as well as you, try to inculcate this quality through the following ways:

1. Get inspired: Look at how inspirational people engage in altruistic acts. Seeing others work to improve the lives of others can inspire you to act altruistically too.
2. Be empathetic: Rather than distancing yourself from others’ problems, consider how you would feel in that situation and think about the ways in which you can help them to make a difference.
3. Practise kindness: Try to perform random acts of kindness. Look around you for people who may need help. Offer a meal to someone in need, help a friend with a task, offer to take care of your neighbour’s plants when they’re out of town, etc.
4. A kind act a day: Make kindness the topmost in your list of priorities. Think about the altruistic acts you've performed, how they might have helped someone, and how you might repeat them in future. Consider performing at least one act of kindness a day.

So, now that you know all about altruism, let’s embrace altruism as a way of life, shall we?