Thursday 1 April 2010

Part A: The Altruistic Ape

Anyone ever thought about what types of animals have altruistic attributes other than humans? Well among us human good Samaritans are anthropoids, also known as apes :)

Although, I'm talking about absolute artless altruism - like that of an anklebiter. Anthropological studies have shown that apes have the same altruistic aspects as an 18-month old. In 2007, an analysis of apes and anklebiters was held at the Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. It showed that apes and anklebiters are both inclined to assist people that they have never addressed in their lives, without any personal gain. Amazing, isn't it?

It's alluring because as we advance in age, I think authentic altruism abates. I mean, of course most of us aspire to aid anyone in need, especially those that are close to us, but who hasn't thought, 'So what will I get outta this?' Be honest. How often do you engage in altruistic acts for someone you hardly know that's in need? Should favours always have to be accrued? Can't we just be appeased knowing that we have assisted someone who needed assisting?

19 comments:

  1. Wow! I'm blown away... excellent writing skills! You did it... used as many A-letter words as possible! Hehe! Great job! Interesting topic of choice~ This is cool because I'm in San Diego & it's not quite April 1st... so I feel like I'm getting a "sneak peak" and I get to comment on entries "a day ahead"... happy blogging... looking forward to future entries...thank you for stopping by my blog!~

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  2. haha well done, that was brilliant! :o)

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  3. Crazy! That was pretty inventive, girl. And it actually had a message. Yeah, it's fun--I like the alliteration.
    Lee

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  4. Thanks guys! Mind you, you think I can manage it near the end of the month when I get letters like,q,v and z? Ha! Thesaurus-Dictionary PRONTO! :)

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  5. That will be where the challenge really comes in, but I think you can do it.
    lee

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  6. Excellent post, A good start to the challenge, only 25 to go.

    Yvonne.

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  7. You definitely gave the letter A a workout on that post. Great job. Look forward to seeing what you'll do with the other letters.

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  8. A good addition!! You have an absolutely amazing, artistic, aptitude at alliteration. Anyway...that's all I got!

    Great job! AND...a good point to end on. Why oh why must the human condition always lead us to self? Let's just love others people!

    Love in the Truth

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  9. Great topic. I think it's true, that our genuous helping wanes... it is either taken over by what we are socialized to do, or that more selfish 'what's for me?'.

    It seems to me Darwin sheds a lot of light on why it's there (survival of the species, plus a self-preservation--helpful, pleasant children being more likely to be protected that the miserable, rotten ones) but that makes it even LESS clear why it goes.

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  10. This post had me laughing, in a good way. Great job!

    You are in sooooo much trouble when q rolls around.

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  11. Thanks again guys. It was fun to write :)

    Watery Tart: Good point. It is probably a survival instinct. I'd never thought about it like that.

    Tracy: Oh my goodness, TELL ME ABOUT IT!

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  12. That reminds me of that story about the little boy who fell into the ape enclosure at a zoo and the female came over and cradled him, keeping him from the male ape until help arrived.

    How often do I do things out of the goodness of my heart for a stranger? Hmmm...when there is an opportunity and I have the ability to help, I will try.

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  13. A...for Awesome..great post, thanks for sharing it! Your stuff is very interesting I must say! So glad I am following you! Cannot wait to see what you have for B.

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  14. Mary: Oh wow what a story! That's really quite amazing.

    Shannon: Thanks so so so much. I really appreciate your praise :) Gives me a nice boost of self-esteem! And don't we all need it sometimes ...

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  15. Shannon: I can't see you in my followers. Are you under a different name?

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  16. Great post - I was so wrapped up in your message (silent YES, YES, YES!) that I didn't even notice the A-ness of it! Plus, gotta love a good chimp pic :-)
    (Extra points because you got the date right *slinks away in shame*)

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  17. Great post! I'm a sales director, so it's my job to be nice and engaging to people I've never met before. I've found that this attitude bleeds over into my every day life - so I'm always smiling and talking to strangers, offering to hold doors, lend a hand, etc. Of course, I'm also Southern... that might have something to do with it too. ;)

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  18. You definitely get an "A+" for this post...Good stuff!! That's a shame that as we age we tend to lose our altruistic nature, probably because cynicism begins to take precedence...

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