Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil.

Robert A. Heinlein

I read the quote on social media and wondered if they – the selfish altruists, are following Heinlein’s saying? Terming someone who loves humanity as selfish might be far-fetched but having observed them from proximity, I am pretty confident of my choice for the title. By the end of the article, I hope the reader isn’t left with any qualms about the title.

Just like you and me, they are humans but with a deeper sense of gratitude and servitude towards humanity. They have an inherent need to help others, be it physically, mentally or financially and often go to extreme ends. As per my observation, the selfless nature is more proclaimed when it comes to strangers. They love being a messiah!

This is where things get interesting. I asked myself – why do they help strangers? Is it because they are thankful towards the society or is it because they dine on self-satisfaction? After asking a handful of the messiahs, I was convinced that the feeling of self-satisfaction outdoes every other possibility but nevertheless, they are helping someone and that itself is a boon to the greater society.

Every coin has two sides, and likewise the messiahs need for self-satisfaction is closely related to another word – self-centered and if I may take the liberty, I might just use the harsh word – selfish. Simply put, when they want something, they will have it, by any means without taking into consideration any other factor. The mentality somehow goes this way – I help others and hence others should help me irrespective of their situation. Let me give you an example.

A certain person, whom I know often goes out of his way to help the needy. In one extreme case, he ended up donating his salary to a cancer patient without any second thought, even though he wasn’t well off to the extent where he can donate his salary. But surprisingly, the same person has a notorious habit of taking his close aides for granted. If someone is of no use to him/her, he/she would just simply cut off all contact with them. There can be only explanation for such a behavior – the messiah concept.

Surprised? Amazed? Rings a bell? I am pretty sure every reader has come across such a messiah, once in their lifetime. All this brings me back to the beginning of the article – Altruism is based on self-deception. It might sound a bit far-fetched but instead of quoting it as such, I might rather term altruism as a diluted form of narcissism.