Altruism-John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy once said conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth. Which is true the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to what individuals perceive is normal to their society or social group makes them apart of the masses. Which makes me think; of the many different ways people submit there self into that category. For example watching someone be sexually assaulted and stabbed to death outside of an apartment building but never calling the police to help or even attempting to help yourself. That’s what happen to Kitty Genovese and she had thirty-eight witnesses.
Why was it that thirty-eight people stood there and watch her murder? Because they were too busy diffusing the responsibility for the simple fact that all these people are around someone must have called. As humans we do that a lot not help someone on the side of the road because they must have someone coming to help, never look at the screaming nose outside you don’t want to get involve, don’t help that person who’s being attack; diffusion of responsibility: Diffusing the responsibility of yourself being involved into a situation that might put you in danger.
That seem reasonably but how about when you do something that doesn’t benefit you in anyway but you do it because it makes everyone else happy; this is altruism. Let say someone did go and help Kitty Genovese they could have been seriously injured but Kitty Genovese would have had her life. Altruism is any nice gesture you do for someone else at the expense of yourself it doesn’t mean you can’t satisfaction from your acts. In most cases of altruism you would enjoy it but the con of it is sometimes you can’t say “No” when you should be saying no.
You’re doing what others want you to do when that’s not what’s in your heart to do. All I know is that more people should because in any case you would want people to ignore you in your time of need. I can’t really say how to get help but if you’re in danger caught people’s attention, say something important, but most of all caught someone attention. One thing I must say be safe in this crazy world we call earth .
