Photo by Victória Kubiaki

When one reads a practical guide to altruism and making a difference, one common thread is that it’s all about doing small things across lengthy periods of time despite not seeing much of a difference being made every day.

Some people may look at this and feel disillusioned when contrasted against the still present problems that appear unsolved. What good is practical altruism for the bigger picture when the picture hasn’t changed one iota?

Oddly enough, such disappointment and cynicism can occur even when one sees the efforts of billionaire philanthropists yet remain focused on the unsolved problem.

Why should one volunteer at a soup kitchen, when not even Bill Gates could solve world hunger?

Why keep recycling when it seems nations are missing their climate change targets and disasters seem inevitable?

Why support efforts for world peace when nations still insist on waging wars and conquering one another?

It’s a sad situation (made sadder still that it’s often the younger generations who feel this type of depression and anxiety). But in reality, differences are being made even with the small, pragmatic acts of altruism and philanthropy being done.

The bigger picture is changing. There is hope. It is just a matter of how this bigger picture is being viewed.

Many Systemic Problems Were Made Long-Term

Photo by Museums Victoria

One effective way to change such a negative perspective is to simply remember that massive, disruptive change almost never happens overnight.

A quick look through world history will show that many of the most turbulent periods only have the appearance of sudden change. Anyone who would look under the proverbial hood will see that that the big cause of many woes are actually the long-term accumulation of smaller problems.

For example, the Great Depression was the result an unstable economy heavily predicated on loans. This wasn’t merely people borrowing large sums of money in one week. This was years in the making.

The same could be said for the rise of the Nazi party in Germany that led to World War II. Hitler and his allies spent at least four to five years building on the public resentment against the Treaty of Versailles, then piled atop the misery inflicted by the Great Depression six years later.

The greatest threat to democracy, liberty and world peace still took a total of eleven to twelve years to seize power, followed by many more years after that to tighten its hold and then wreak havoc.

Many people, even to this day, lament the inaction that allowed such evil to thrive for so long during that time.

Today’s aspiring movers, shakers and people of good will should not despair, lest they make the same mistake. The problems they confront are undoubtedly the result of centuries of smaller problems being allowed to continue. Deploying practical altruism for the bigger picture comes with recognizing smaller components of greater problems. That way, the one small part you play every day prevents future generations from dealing with more of it.

It is a Community Effort

It also bears repeating that altruism and philanthropy are hardly solo projects.

You may be donating money privately, or writing a little letter of encouragement meant to support a bigger organization. But if anything else, that already means you are never alone. The fact that such large, charitable organizations exist means thousands, if not millions, of people see the same problem you see and want to work together for a solution.

Community is a cornerstone of philanthropy.

It is really bizarre when social media platforms are often used to circulate outrage and negativity when it can also be the ideal space to foster practical altruism for the bigger picture. Online communities that thrive on positive awareness, bridge gaps in communication as well give a stronger voice to volunteers all have such great potential for philanthropy.

Likewise, many are realizing the internet’s potential for fostering bigger, wider networks all centered on charitable causes. Today, practical altruism is no longer just limited to small private donations. More people are empowered to create and share content about a particular cause. Conversations on these issues can happen more frequently, allowing more people to fuel consensus on solutions.

Rather than using digital resources to foster anxiety and hopelessness about a particular cause, why not use them to better unite the global community behind it instead?

Everything is Connected

Photo by Clay Banks

Speaking of connection, it’s also important to remember that many of the issues that philanthropists are dealing with are connected with a host other factors.

In the United States, for instance, one cannot focus on poverty without confronting the reality of racial inequality.

These, in turn, means that everyone involved would be confronting a host of multi-disciplinary challenges (such as understanding the history of systemic problems, recognizing implicit racial biases, tackling pop culture stereotypes etc).

It is certainly a lot of work, but it also means that a problem can have multiple angles from which it can be addressed. And as everyone pitches together and does their part from their chosen angle, change can happen.

Want to start doing your part? You can find a great list of references for charities in Giving is Not Just for the Very Rich. It’s available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the ReadersMagnet digital bookstore.