How Literature Teaches Us The Importance Of Altruism

Literature occupies a significant place in society. It provides inspiration, entertainment, knowledge and is a valuable source of information. But it can also teach us things we never knew before. After reading the Moon of the Crusted Snow, I learned how important altruism is to the function of society. It is the foundation of my existence, as it is for many others. Altruism is capable of eliminating suffering, improving the lives and creating an environment in which everyone can thrive. Literature shows us how important and beneficial altruism is in the modern world.

Evan Whitesky’s altruism is evident in Moon of the Crusted Snow. Evan Whitesky lives in a First Nations Reserve in the North. When his community loses communication and power, Evan helps to save them. Evan helped his community through his volunteer work to clear snow from the roads, distribute food, and care for elders in their homes. Evan’s acts of altruism led to his family and the community’s survival. His dedication to his community helped other people get through difficult times. His actions showed that altruism was needed because his community couldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for him. During discussion, a few group members stated that altruism is more harmful than helpful. They cited Terry, who was the leader of their community, for allowing an outsider to join the group, Scott. Scott was an egotistical person who used community members to survive. He used weapons to get them to follow his orders. This made me think about whether altruism was more positive than negative for the Evans community. Scott helped the community survive. Evan’s generosity was essential to their survival. In this case, the community would not have survived without Evan’s altruism. The author writes that “their ancestors, who were forced from their native homeland in South America to settle here, never had any intention of them surviving”. The author shows us that First Nations communities, with their strong sense of altruism, have survived, while other societies, rooted primarily in selfishness and greed, have collapsed. The characters continue to carry this symbolism. Scott was selfish in his non-altruistic behavior, but Evan was altruistic. Scott, who had come from the city, was a selfish non-altruistic person. Evan, who lived in the reserve was an altruistic person. Author demonstrated that altruism is necessary for a community to function. The community would have not survived if people only cared about themselves.

David Suzuki’s essay, “Monster Endangering Earth Is Us,” showed how altruism was essential for humanity to survive. The essay brought climate change to the fore and showed how we need to fight it. David Suzuki said in the essay: “We are fighting to keep our planet livable”. Altruism will guide our actions right now. Climate change may not have much of an effect on our lives, but future generations will be affected greatly. Recycling and carpooling can be considered altruistic because we think about others’ future well-being. The story of the Moon of the Crusted Snow is very similar. To help the human race survive, we need to do altruistic things. We will all collapse if we don’t do anything to combat climate change.

Altruism in the world is a necessity. Many of the deaths that occur due to war, disease, and poverty are preventable. Yemen is currently experiencing a mass-famine that affects over 16,000,000 people. A lack of nutrition has caused countless deaths among civilians, which could’ve been avoided. It would not be difficult to help a dying child if all we needed to do was give him food. We’d certainly be willing to help. What does it mean that the child we were looking at is now gone? The distance between us is the reason I think. Altruism is rooted in our emotions. Empathy is a result of our emotions. Altruism can be used to help Yemeni people survive. The number of innocents who would die if we all acted altruistically could be reduced.

A childhood experience made me think about the necessity of altruism. My parents took my six-year-old self to Pakistan. There were many good memories I have from that trip. But one in particular will stay with me forever. A young child of my age was sleeping on the road outside an ice-cream shop. This child was left alone. Why are some people born with disadvantages, and others destined for success in life? The child’s situation was not chosen, and neither did mine. This experience has shaped my life goals. I am aware that I have many blessings, including a loving family and good health. I feel that it is my duty to use these opportunities for others. I began to question why these feelings resonated within me. What is at the core of altruism? Empathy may be the reason for my altruistic feelings. My desire to help others is because I’d want to be in a similar situation. Since I was a child, my parents taught me to put others’ needs before mine. The world would be better off if we all had the same mindset.

Literature is a powerful tool for teaching us the importance of altruism. There is a lot of suffering and pain in our world. Altruism has the power to solve many issues in our world, including climate change, world hunger, and poverty. Altruism is a virtue that can eliminate all suffering on earth. Altruism has the power to improve other people’s lives and make humanity successful.