Strangers Drowning summary

Have you ever tried to cheer yourself up by indulging in some retail therapy and spending money on things you don’t need? While it may distract you from your problems, according to one argument in favor of altruism called utilitarianism, such excessive spending can make you a terrible person.

Unlike altruists, who want the best for everyone except themselves, people who believe in utilitarianism basically want the best for everyone.

Is it possible to have the best of both worlds by finding a meaningful job and financial security? It can be difficult to find the right balance, but studies have shown that many people prefer meaningful work over a well-paid, comfortable job.

It may be the case that altruistic work satisfies the need to find meaningful work, but comes at the cost of wealth and social status.

How would you respond if a family member fell ill and needed you to donate a kidney? Would you hesitate?

Then it might surprise you to know that altruists are so eager to help others that they would even donate a kidney to a complete stranger.

As the previous blinks have shown us, there are many things to consider if you’re thinking about pursuing an altruistic life. Your cause is yet another important factor: after all, you want to find a cause that could benefit from your time and talents.

For Nemoto, a Japanese Buddhist monk, this meant counseling suicidal people.

Sadly, it’s not uncommon to hear about victims of domestic violence being abused by an alcoholic partner. But the relation between victim and culprit can often be more complicated than it seems. Sometimes these relationships can evolve into a pathological form of altruism.

One of the most famous examples is the story of Bill Wilson and his wife Lois, the founders of the Alcoholics Anonymous organization, which offers support to alcoholics and those who live with them.

In school, it’s hard to like the teacher’s pet, and that sentiment doesn’t change as we get older. Maybe that’s why do-gooders are almost never the heroes in popular fiction.

Even when characters in books perform good deeds, they’re not described as being heroic.

Has anyone ever stopped to help you carry some heavy luggage or assisted you without being asked? If so, there’s a chance you might’ve considered him suspicious, wondering what his own selfish motives might be.

And this is exactly how major Western thinkers have long treated the subject of altruism.