The cultivation of altruism

True happiness comes from a sense
of peace and contentment,
which in turn must be achieved
through the cultivation of altruism,
of love and compassion...

the Dalia Llama

Commentary:

I don 't have a lot of spare time, and what little time I do have is consumed by many things I need to get done, and rarely things that I want to do. One thing I do want to do, aside from starting a new photography project is to volunteer at a local garden. But between post-hurricane clean-up and and the upcoming election, suddenly, I have found myself volunteering three times in one week! Since Thursday, I helped to clear trails from hurricane debris at the Houston arboretum, where they estimated that they lost over 1000 trees in the storm; I have helped prepare plants for an upcoming sale to help support local gardens in the area; and today I got deputized and then joined an event sponsored by a local radio station to register people to vote. There isn't much time left before the elections, so I imagine I will continue to use my free time over the next few weeks to help get out the vote. Then I can focus on the stuff I need & want to.

Buddhist dogma talks a lot about altruism and how the giving of oneself is but one of many actions that help one reach peace and harmony. I can't really explain the feeling that I get when I volunteer, but it is different than when I actually do similar work for a paycheck. When I am volunteering, I give myself up wholly, without expectation of reward for the work that I am doing. I suppose I do hope that my efforts in registering voters will be rewarded with a win for Obama. Its not a completely selfless desire, but neither is it selfish, for I truly believe if Obama were President, he would look out for the interests of most (95%) citizens in this country.