Helping Hands
Bryn Athyn College’s Altruism Class Shares
Their Experience of Serving
W
hen you register for Dr. Soni Werner’s Altruism class, you start a
delightful journey of intense learning. In her recently published book,
Altruism: Many Kinds of Kindness, Dr. Werner says: “Altruism involves paying
attention to what other people need, feeling empathy, and then kindly serving
those needs.” She encourages each student to dive into the joy of serving the
neighbor and the community.
From late August to early October our class completed 400 hours of
service. By the end of this class in mid-November we are hoping to complete
600 hours! According to experts on altruism, the average economic value of an
hour of volunteer work is considered to be $22. With our projected goal, our
contribution as a class would have an economic value of $13,200.
In this class we absorb all the theories of love and service to others, and
take in the whole dimension of the words compassion and love. We also get to
discover some very altruistic people. Then we realize how much we can give
and how good it feels to love others.
In Dr. Werner’s class we are encouraged to live the principles of the New
Church. Swedenborg invites us to reflect on the essence of life: What does God
ask us to do? What is our mission? We think he answers these questions in this
statement: “Can anyone fail to see quite clearly that the goals of creation are
useful functions? If it is to be useful, it must be for the sake of others. Anyone
who keeps this in mind can also keep in mind the thought that functions that
are truly useful cannot arise from us but from one who brings forth nothing
but what is useful – the Lord.” (Divine Love and Wisdom 308)
In altruism class our days are full of small actions of empathy and love that
teach us to fulfill the Lord’s purpose of living for the sake of others. Consider
this statement that shows the need for each of us to engage in altruism:
“God loves every one of us but cannot directly benefit us; He can benefit
us only indirectly through each other. For this reason He inspires us with His
love, just as He inspires parents with love for their children. If we receive this
love, we become connected to God and we love our neighbor.” (True Christian
Religion 457)
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