Altruism

"Once upon a time there was an old woman who used to meditate on the bank of the Ganges. 
One morning, finishing her meditation, she saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the strong current. 
As the scorpion was pulled closer, it got caught in roots that branched out far into the river. 
The scorpion struggled frantically to free itself but got more and more entangled. 
She immediately reached out to the drowning scorpion, which, as soon as she touched it, stung her. 
The old woman withdrew her hand but, having regained her balance, once again tried to save the creature. 
Every time she tried, however, the scorpion's tail stung her so badly that her hands became bloody and her face distorted with pain. 
A passerby who saw the old woman struggling with the scorpion shouted, 'What's wrong with you, fool! Do you want to kill yourself to save that ugly thing?' 
Looking into the stranger's eyes, she answered, 'Because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, why should I deny my own nature to save it?' "
--Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun.

Sometimes in life we, because of our nature, reach out to others with no likelihood of personal benefit. I try and do that daily. It's really a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We serve others because we love God; not because we want recognition. If we act selflessly in secret, then our Father who seeth in secret, will reward us openly. Occasionally, like the case of this old woman, we help someone who would be a seeming enemy. It is really at these times, where we put party lines aside, and just love... true love. In the four levels of love, this is known as Agape (it's a greek word). Agape is known to be the highest, most pure form of love, next to affection, romantic, and friendship. This type of love is the love God has for us and the love we should have for one another. Sharing this type of 'Agape' with others doesn't have to be as sacrificial as the lady in the story. What about saying hi to someone as we walk past? Maybe they're having a bad day, or feel like they don't have many friends. Sometimes we seem to neglect this form of love with those that we actually love most. Have you ever thought to come home and say, "How about I make dinner tonight?" If I said that to my mom sometime while at home, she'd say, "Are you sick honey?" haha. Let us love. It truly is what makes the world go round. As one of my hero's said, "Shall we not go on in so great a cause?"