The desire to create a better world has always been there in people. At the same time, as we try to understand the world, many theories have been formulated to explain why we desire so, how we can achieve it or why we may never succeed.
And “Selfish Altruism” is just one of these many ways to see. It focuses on why and how our selfishness can be leveraged to benefit everyone. It gives hope. But there are many other theories like The Veneer theory (we are all evil under the veil of civilization), Social Darwinism (let the poor be on their own and they will perish if they fail), and the Selfish Gene (our genes do anything to ensure that they thrive).
The point is this: Theories are made to explain things. There will always be a theory explaining why you can create a better future or not, but none of them is the absolute truth. And that does not make them useless either. You should read good theories by all means, as they expand the horizons, but never use them to justify living in passivity.
If there is a truth you seek, it is YOU. And it is when you bring your thoughts into reality through action that you create a new truth.
The Power of Choice
Regardless of a war-ridden history and natural calamities, we humans have managed to come this far. And while there is no guarantee that humanity will not erase itself in the next 500 years, but nor is there any proof that the series of actions set in motion by you today cannot counteract that gloomy future either. What matters is that you try. Talk is cheap, it’s your actions that matter.
Depending on which theory you believe in, you can find proof for both, how animals help each other as well as how ruthless they can be to their kins. But we are more than mere words in a theory.
The biggest gift that our consciousness and mental faculties give to us is the power of choice. We can choose to rise above our origins and be more than mere impulses coded in our genes. It is through our power of choice that we can ensure a better life today, and tomorrow.
Seek, and you shall get 😊