Kiara Rhines

Joseph Stimpfl

RELG 1080

9 February 2020

Week 4: Altruism

On the corner of Fourth and Walnut in Louisville, KY, Thomas Merton experienced an

insight that he had been living under an “illusion”. The illusion that Merton is referring to is

religious conformity and offering a new perspective that although he is religious, that does not

make him better than the next religious being. In his book, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander,

Merton offers this perspective. The book dives deep into explaining how we are all on the same

playing field, although there are people that may seem more spiritual than others. There’s a

common misconception that preaches and religious leaders view themselves as being higher or

more affiliated with normal church goers, and it is common for society to hold that same view.

Looking at the situation, it is normal to feel as though the pastor, or the deacon hold more power

than the church goers. Based on Merton’s view, this misconception is invalid. No one is perfect.

Everyone sins and all sins should hold the same weight. Merton holds the belief that each

individual is equal and should be viewed and judged all in the same light. Religion should not

build a barrier between people just because all religions are not the same. Understanding that it is

okay to agree to disagree is important. We all have different perspectives and we all go through

different things, but at the end of the day, we are all people and sometimes there are

disagreements and that is normal.

 If there was ever a doubt that good don’t exist anymore, the lifesaving actions of

Maximillion Kolbe and Lenny Skutnik proves that good people still exist. Both of these men

were extremely admirable. They were both willing to put their lives on the line in order to save

someone else. It is very rare that you come across men or even people like this. Relating back to

the idea of altruism and selflessness, Maximillion and Lenny embodied this. These stories

remind me of the hunger games and when the older sister had to choose between living her life

or sacrificing herself to save her little sister. This is a hard decision for anyone because she had

to think about her own life versus her sisters. Most people would not be willing to give up their

life to save someone else. In this movie, the character does this with no hesitation. She showed

great selflessness and courage. I think a lot of times, people want to be heroes, but at the expense

of their own life. In the stories and in the hunger games, these people put the needs of others over

their own lives. There are some differences though. Maximillion volunteered to die in place of a

stranger. Lenny saved the life of Priscilla Tirado following the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 into

the frozen Potomac River. Both of these men were willing to risk their lives. Maximillion died

and Skutnik actually survived. From both of the stories, it is in human nature for people to want

to help, it is just a matter of how far those people are willing to go to do what’s right.

In the documentary about the Amish on “forgiveness”, there were a lot of things that

occurred after the tragic killing of their children. Five children were killed in the hands of a

person who wanted to test the forgiveness of the Amish community. In the documentary, the

community forgave the shooter and went to their family and explained how and why they

forgave them. Also, they tore down the school where the tragedy happened and let the
community hep guide them through the pain. They were willing to forgive and move on and I

found that so powerful. It’s hard to let hurt go. It’s easy to let hurt, heartbreak and pain consume

you. Those people were brace and openly willing to forgive in their time of hurt. For me, it’s

important to realize that forgiveness does not have to be for the person who wronged you, but

more for yourself. Letting go of that hurt and anger and being free again is powerful. Forgiveness

does not happen over-night, but once a person finds it in their heart to truly forgive a person, it

changes everything.

The biggest challenge in forgiving a person who has wronged you is accepting the

situation for what it is. It is easy to say, “I’m okay” or “I accept your apology”, but it is harder to

actually accept the circumstances and let it go. For example, a mother who has to forgive the

person who killed her child can be a challenging thing to do. That mother is most likely filled

with hate towards this person, but if that hate is eating her alive, it might be time to let it go. This

mother can’t let the situation go without accepting the circumstances and letting all of the hurt

and pain go. It is hard for any parent to accept the death of their child, and it is even harder to

accept the fact that the person who killed your child is still living. Forgiving that person is like

letting all of the pain and hurt go. Releasing hatred from your heart is cleansing to the soul.

Getting it off of you conscious takes a lot off of a person. For this mother, it definitely will not

bring her child back, but it will give her a better sense of understanding for her life. Another

example might be forgiveness within yourself. Knowing that you did something wrong or

something that was bad can eat away at you. Letting it go and realizing that things happen and

there will be difficult situations helps with the problems.

 Thomas Merton’s teaching that a selfish life, “contradicts the very nature of man”

explains how it is not in our human nature to be selfish. Typically, it is in our human nature to

help if we all view each other equally. When you are selfish, it does no good to you or the people

around you. It is not possible to be selfish and loving at the same time. An altruistic person is not

selfish. Thomas Merton’s teaching s is a deep insight of color blindness and gender blindness.

He believes that as a society, we are all people and we are one. I think that if everyone viewed

the world that way, then the world would be a better and happier place filled with love.