ALTRUISM: Turning a GOOD GOOD DAY into a Way of Life

Toward the end of the school year, I was invited by Roseau High School Student Council to be the keynote speaker for their “GOOD GOOD DAY!” This is an annual event during which 7th-12th graders dive into community service projects, from cleaning trash in public parks to playing bingo at the senior center. They looked to me to find inspiration and motivation for what this day really means for the 450 students engaging in community projects.

Talking about altruism with Roseau High School students on their "GOOD GOOD DAY"

I thought about what it might feel like for a teenager to clean up other people’s discarded Dorito bags and disregarded dog poop. I thought about what it might feel like to be anxious about having to sit with old people and not knowing what to say, or how to act… Oh! The anxiety and detest of it all!!

So, I started by playing a simple game. I told one brave volunteer in each session that I truly wished them happiness. They then rushed to tell two other people something equally nice. And those two had to rush to tell another two people each something nice, until the whole room was standing. It took only an average of 1.5 minutes for each group of 150 students to bring everyone to their feet after spreading well-wishes like wildfire.

I asked them to contemplate the ripple effect of spreading “GOOD”, regardless of whether or not you like everyone here, and regardless of anything you get back in return. I then asked them to contemplate what ripple effects might come of picking up garbage or playing bingo with a community elder. They came up with the usual answers you can imagine.

But then I challenged them to think one ripple deeper. What will be the impact the day after you’re done with this community service project? What could possibly be the impact on the people who meet with the people who directly benefited from your simple effort on this “GOOD GOOD DAY”? One student said, “Maybe the elder will be so happy that she’ll treat the nurse better, and the nurse will be less stressed out at home, making her child feel safer and happier.”

THAT’S IT! The unseen ripple effects of ALTRUISM.

And guess what?! Sometimes we have to be okay with our own discomfort in order to reduce the suffering in this world.

So I ask you, reader… When is the last time you pushed yourself toward a little discomfort to give a gift of care and consideration, without expectation of receiving any recognition or payment back? How did it make you feel? What was the ripple effect in your own life of your own altruistic actions?

In today’s world, we are cornered into thinking we need to fight for our space, our rights, our freedoms. If we see these as limited crumbs under the table, we will be guided by the fear of lack.

What if the next time you were compelled to gossip about someone not present, you stopped yourself and took a deep breath, remembering they too are human, and there is no competition here or anywhere? What if the next time you saw a piece of garbage and picked it up because you saw the world being beautified, rather than feel frustration toward the ignorant human who dropped it? What if your desire to end all suffering started with your daily practice of welcoming-in compassion and big broad perspectives informed by innate wisdom, instead of being limited by ego-based fear of lack and opposition?

What if those of us listening were able to be okay with a little discomfort, in order to spread a lot of good, not only on a GOOD GOOD DAY, but on each and every day? This is our practice.