Every once in a while, I spend three and half hours manning the concession stand at an historical, independent movie theater in Portland, Oregon, called The Hollywood Theatre. In addition to the concession stand, which I keep clean and stocked while serving freshly-popped butter-flavored popcorn, miscellaneous candies, and a variety of non-alcoholic beverages to hungry movie-goers, I tidy up the three screening rooms in between shows. Sometimes, I even break into a sweat. I do this gratis work because I want to do what I can to decrease the overhead costs for the small theater and free up resources to support local filmmakers’ projects. Being a sometimes “aspiring filmmaker,” I saw what I did as benefiting a cause that’s near and dear to my heart.
Yet, even though I do all this for free, I still feel awkward referring to it as “volunteer work.” It certainly pales in comparison to what I would consider “true altruism” exhibited by those who volunteer their time at soup kitchens, homeless shelters, convalescent homes, and other such places. But, what is “true altruism?”
Websters.com defines “altruism” as “the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others.” Its doctrine is further defined as “the view that one’s actions ought to further the interests or good of other people, ideally to the exclusion of one’s own interests.” From these definitions alone, I certainly don’t feel at ease calling what I do altruistic in nature for the simple reason of receiving a free movie pass for ever volunteer shift I work. In essence, I’m in it for something.
True altruists are those who give for the sake of giving, not expecting anything in return. Individuals who volunteer in programs such as Pediatric Chemo Pal or Big Brothers Big Sisters are a sampling of who I would consider altruists by the pure definition of the word. I view these people with equal parts awe and bewilderment. What drives them to give so much of themselves? In a recent conversation with a co-worker, I discovered that one of her goals is to spend at least a year with the Peace Corps in Central America building schools and churches for the impoverished. When I asked her why she would do that, she shot me a huge smile and simply said, “I just want to give.” I feigned total comprehension and we left it at that. It was difficult to ask for further clarification when she spent the next ten seconds smiling with a dreamy look in her eyes, quite possibly envisioning herself in El Salvador hauling two-by-fours in torrential weather, knee-deep in mud, hammering away at donated lumber, an image of a shiny new church engraved in her mind’s eye.
I also believe that individuals who adopt– especially parents who already have their own offspring– are some of our truest altruists, for what they do ensures the direct betterment of another human being, a child who may otherwise never get a chance to live, grow, love and be loved. I hesitate to count celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt among this lot, but I still applaud their efforts. My only hope is that the negative press they receive because of what some consider “adoption craze” does not deter them or anyone else from the true intentions of adoption.
Perhaps I shouldn’t feel too badly about what I do for the Hollywood Theatre. After all, we all need the arts. But I look forward to and will work toward the day when I achieve true altruism, giving of myself while expecting nothing in return, except perhaps the pure joy in the act of giving.
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