my final illation

there are many causes for good, and many words to go along with the act of doing good. everything from altruism to selflessness can be attributed to why people do good in this world. however when i ask myself why people do good in the world, i look towards one underlying cause that seems to be a part of everything. empathy.

you can't be philanthropic or altruistic or selfless or anything else without having empathy. it is the root cause of all good in the world. one must be able to sympathize with another human being. empathy is what helps us relate to others, and their emotions and pain. we can get into their state of mind and all of a sudden their feelings are somehow affecting your feelings. it has a profound affect on you, and this is what triggers us to do good. the second we know that others are suffering, then we can help others.

yes, i do think that everyone has a sense of individualism that makes them somewhat egoistic. they do think of themselves before others, but empathy is what breaks us out of that state. we hate suffering, and to know that we could be just like another person who is suffering appeals to our better half. in many cases we want to help them because we ourselves would want others to help us when we are in need.