03/31/2026
Someone dear to me recently had something happen and they realized that their actions were initially intended to be kind to a stranger, but the stranger’s response to those actions blessed them.
Most do not know this, but I originally went to school with a career goal in dentistry. Upon shadowing my first dentist, I realized that I liked to talk way too much for that field. During my time with a Pre-Dentistry major, I took a number of biology classes that taught of altruism, symbiosis and other theories of relationships amongst beings. An altruistic relationship is one that gives without anything in return. It gives of itself to the benefit of another without anything reciprocal. I had a professor once that disputed this theory in his lectures. His position was that even what sets out to be an altruistic endeavor returns to the giving party in a sense of good deed, a sense of accomplishment or value.
I thought of this lecture when I recently heard the story. The person had witnessed someone in power being cruel to someone else. Once the time presented, they approached whom they felt was wronged and apologized for the behaviors of that person. They did so in an effort to bring comfort. The person was so grateful for the kind words that they explained why the situation was so difficult and expressed what those kind words meant to them in that moment.
My friend was profoundly impacted by this. What my friend experienced is something psychologists sometimes call a “helper’s high”. It is that sense of warmth, purpose, and even peace that follows an act of compassion. It does not cheapen the kindness; if anything, it reinforces it. The reward is not why they acted, but it becomes part of why people keep acting that way.
Upon hearing of the encounter it brightened my day as well. Perhaps there is some truth to the theory that there is no purely altruistic behavior. I know that there are arguments on both sides, but I expect that this world would be a much better place if more people tested the theory!
