Kiara Tomlinson

Period 1; Computer Graphics

Mr. Acevedo
Our American Dream
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism
or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

We live in a society where we must make crucial decisions, particularly the

one that will determine our true character as human beings in this world.
One can either be very selfless, giving, and a true steward towards others. Or
one may choose to be an egotistical being simply due to ignorance and
being a slave to their own senses. But is it really true that our society today
knows the meaning of altruism?
The steps of altruism start with but simple steps, though they will be
worthwhile in the long run. Its simply the act of selflessness involving
generosity and the gift of giving towards others, without expecting rewards
or even asking Whats in it for me? Moreover, it is a moral to be practiced
based on wisdom and experience; how can altruism be practiced without the
proper knowledge of learning about what others need in this society? Its
basic principle? Altruism allows people to practice the fact they do not live on
this earth for their own self-benefits, but rather be of service towards many

others around them. This practice basically makes people to self-sacrifice

their needs and makes it as his or her highest moral and virtue.
However, there seems to be a barrier that tends to conflict many people,
including Americans. Coming from the Land of the Free, many people
misconceive the fact that we are never obliged to do service for anything
since its a free country. Yet, that statement is nowhere near true because
no matter how free a person may seem, theyre going to be a slave of
something, that is, our views of morality. Moreover, people tend to mix two
philosophies with the subject of politics, which most of the time they are
incompatible with one another; for there is a statement that philosophical
opposites cannot coexist in the same person or society (According to Ayn
Rand.) Another misconception people tend to make is that they only become
generous towards others just to give themselves a good title (which by the
way is a selfish act they are oblivious about.) These misconceptions may
grow and grow, leading a vast majority of people in this society to be in the
darkness.
Regardless of the downfalls our society inevitably has, having the right
humanity and willingness are the ways of showing altruism. To sum it up,
altruism is not only doing well to the community or our society, but also to do
it with humble hearts and the discipline of giving back to others. Dr. MLK
proves his point with optimism and hope for a better outlook on our society.