How Literature Teaches Us The Importance of Altruism

Literature has an important place within our society, as it is a source of inspiration, entertainment, and knowledge. However, it also can give us a new perspective and teach us lessons that we have not been exposed to before. After reading the book Moon of the Crusted Snow I learned that altruism is an important guiding principle for our society to function. Many of us including myself consider it to be the basis of our existence. Altruism has the ability to eliminate suffering, improve the lives of others, and create an environment where everyone has the power to thrive. To a great extent, literature teaches us the necessity and benefits of altruism in our day and age.

In the book, Moon of the Crusted Snow we see many examples of altruism demonstrated by, the protagonist, Evan Whitesky. He lives on a First Nations reserve in the north, when their community loses power and communication with the outside world Evan steps in to help his community. Evan helped his community by volunteering his time to distribute rations, clear snow-covered roads, and look after the elders at their homes. Evan's altruistic acts lead to the survival of his family and his community. His devoted service to the community helped others get through difficult situations. His actions demonstrated the need for altruism because without it his community would not have survived. During the discussion, some group members mentioned that altruism hurt the community rather than helping it. They pointed to the decision made by the community leader, Terry, to allow an outsider, Scott, into the community. Scott was a selfish person who exploited members of the community for his own personal survival. He threatened them with weapons, so they would follow his orders; this made me reflect on whether altruism had more of a positive impact on Evans community than negative. The community was able to survive with Scott. However, they would not have been able to survive without Evan's altruism. In this case, altruism was needed for the community to survive and they would have been worse off without it.

During my preparation for the novel discussion, for Moon of the Crusted Snow, I reflected on how the author demonstrates the necessity of altruism for a society to succeed. The author writes, 'Their ancestors were displaced from their original homeland in the South and the white people who forced them here had never intended for them to survive'. The author shows that the First Nations community, who have altruism rooted in their culture, were able to survive, while the rest of society, rooted in selfishness, collapsed. This symbolism continues into the lives of the characters. Scott, who had come from the city, was a selfish non-altruistic person, while Evan, who lived in the reserve was an altruistic person. By the end of the novel, we see that Scott had died as a result of his selfishness while Evan had lived as a result of altruism. The author demonstrated the need for altruism in order for the community to function. If everyone thought only about themselves they would not have survived.

The essay, written by David Suzuki, titled “Monster Threatening Earth Is us” showed the true need for altruism if humanity wants to survive in the future. His essay brought to light the issue of climate change and how we must aid in the fight against it. Within the essay, David Suzuki wrote: “we are battling to keep the planet livable for our children”. The actions we take right now, to help the planet, will all be acts of altruism. Climate change will not have a tremendous impact on our lives; however, it will have a tremendous effect on future generations. Taking steps to help the environment, such as recycling or carpooling, are all altruistic acts because we are thinking about the wellbeing of others in the future. This is similar to the story of the 2 communities in Moon of the Crusted Snow; we must partake in altruistic acts in order to help the survival of humanity. If we do not help combat climate change we will collapse like the other cities in the book that did not pose altruism.

The need for altruism is certainly apparent in our world. Countless deaths occur from war, illness, and poverty; many of which are preventable. Over 16 million people, in Yemen, are currently suffering from a mass famine. This has led to countless civilian casualties, which could all be prevented by adequate nutrition. Surely if a child was on the verge of death and all we had to do to prevent it is to hand the child food. We would surely help. What difference does it make that this child is no longer in front of us? I believe that it is a result of the distance that separates us. Our emotions are the root cause of altruism. It is our emotions that make us empathize with others. Altruism is the means from which we can help the people of Yemen survive. If everyone was altruistic many innocent deaths would be prevented.

Thinking about the need for altruism made me reflect on an experience I had when I was young. When I was six years old, my parents took me on a trip to Pakistan. I built many fun and happy memories on that trip; however, there was one particular moment that stayed with me for the rest of my life. While visiting an ice cream shop at night, I saw a young child, about my age at the time, who was sleeping outside the shop on the road. There was no one there to take care of this child. Why is it that some people are born disadvantaged, while others are destined to succeed in life? The child did not choose to be born in such a situation, nor did I choose to be born with privileges. This encounter has helped to shape my goals in life. I know that I have been blessed with many opportunities, from a supportive family to good health, which is why I believe that I must use these opportunities to help others. I questioned why these feelings of altruism resonated with me. What is the root cause of altruism? Perhaps, my feelings of altruism are as a result of empathy. I have this drive to help others because if I were in that position, then I would want others to help me. My parents have taught me, since I was young, to put the needs of others before myself. If everyone were to have the same mentality, the world would be a far better place.

Literature teaches us to a great extent the need for altruism in our current world. Our world is filled with pain and suffering. Altruism is the path to solving many world issues such as climate change, poverty, and world hunger. Literature has taught me that we are in desperate need of altruism as it has the power to eliminate suffering in the world. Altruism is the key to improving the lives of others and helping humanity succeed.