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May 7, 2009
"We ache at the violence, pain, and hunger in our world, and inside us is a will to help. But 'help' only helps if it is an active expression of love. Otherwise our attempts to help, limited by narrow self-concern, become rigid and too easily discouraged." --John Makransky
The Altruism of Children
This may hard to believe for those of you who have to bribe kids to do chores, but the latest scientific research indicates that children are born altruistic. Psychology researcher Felix Warneken, at Germany's Max Planck Institute, performed a series of ordinary chores in front of 18 month old toddlers like Using clothespins to hang up a towel or arranging books. Sometimes he "struggled" with the tasks; sometimes he deliberately messed up. And what he found was that when he seemed to drop something accidentally, the child, without being asked, would try to pick it up and give it back.
BE THE CHANGE
Practice active expressions of good-will, even if it's just smiling at a stranger or asking someone about their day.
