altruism..

much of my own spirituality has been dependent upon the simple act of thinking of others throughout my day, rather than myself. I have come to learn that the root of my troubles is fear-based self-centeredness. Being stuck in myself is when I create and emit negative energy, when I carry fear to others. To me, the answer to peace lies in ourselves, one simple act at a time, of helping others. Spiritual masters for millenia have talked about the necessity of helping others, and altruism (giving without expecting anything in return.) It's a difficult thing to do, sometimes, if I'm wrapped up in fear and dillusion, it's hard for me to give of myself, because fear blocks me, paralyzes me. For me it takes prayer and it takes meditation to bring myself to a place when I can be of usefulness to others, and to be useful I believe is the goal and the purpose of life.It's changed my life in incredible ways and given me one I could never have imagined, whether you believe in God or not, just one simple act of kindness, may it be just picking up the phone to see how a friend is doing, it works for me, and taking these simple actions gets me out of those fears and selfish desires which rule me, and help me to feel more a part of a world bigger than anything I could have imagined. That, to me, is spiritual growth... and the reason we, on this earth, are here.