Comments on: Better the World Campaigns Strike a Chord

By: Tiago

Tiago — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:20:59 +0000

We really need to disseminate altruism values as much as possible. I think these commercials are great to let us be inspired by it and to make a good part of society more open and sensible to this change in perspective of how to build relationships and how to feel the world.

However I think that for another part of society these commercials, for the time being, would perhaps even reforce some kind of “nausea” about this subject. As in marketing and advertisement, I think we could have different approachs, each suiting better each segment fo society. Maybe for this segment, just as a starting point, we could add a more spicy approach, in order to awake this peole to the subject of interconnectness, and therefore to the justification of altruism. Maybe something like this commercial http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gCxueoEF4U

What do you think?

By: Sharon

Sharon — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:57:49 +0000

Commercials like these would be an excellent way to introduce the concepts of altruism.I think that children,teens,and young adults, would notice and benefit.This would be a beginning,which could lead to something profound.

How many people watch television?

By: Janie Rattner

Janie Rattner — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:07:29 +0000

Very nice efforts,we are still in the journey and it will count on our right intentions,feeling what we feel and trying to feel each other,kicking our rightous judgments off the planet and trying as hard as it might be or as easy as it might sound; as the good does good,even to the bad!

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:30:41 +0000

Like anything else “we” do, the intention is what matters. What is the intention here, sell insurance, change behaviour, or change the way we think about a company that sells insurance? The bigger question is; when “we” discover a way to “sell” spirituality, will it still be spiritual? Leaders with correct intentions and spiritually developed desires must sacrifice and enter the world of commercialism and form the beginings of social change.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:43:46 +0000

Changing human nature is certainly the key, and these videos sum up the proposal nicely. To actually change people, we must see for ourselves the direct results of our actions and how they influence the world, seeing how it all comes back to us. That we are not alone and are connected to everything in a very real and tangible way. Observing this firsthand would change my nature and perceptions without a doubt.

By: Olga Khoroshan

Olga Khoroshan — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:56:38 +0000

I like the idea in general. It’s time for us to re-asses our attitudes toward others and recognize that our egoistic tendencies (the world exists for my personal advantage only) are harmful, and videos could help in instilling a new idea of behavior into our minds.
I have a problem, however, with these two particular videos. They are more about politeness and good manners, but would it be enough to heal egoism? Being polite and good mannered has not become redundant, but it also did not prove to be a solution to the egoistic behavior. So, I think the videos, which have a chance to make a difference should be more around the topics such as:
- ego is harmful
- we are interconnected
- we could only be successful in our personal lives if we act for the sake of others.
I don’t know if these three even could be separated – they originate from one another either way you want to look at them…
(Of cause, it will take a talented individual or a group of people to come up with visualization of it…)

By: wela from hawaii

wela from hawaii — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:13:57 +0000

I agree with what you said, Lisa.

Let’s make altruism cool. I think the message should be communicated in such a way that it will provoke longing and make those who watch it ponder deeper, like an eye-opener, a much deeper impression than the commercials.

I read it from somewhere that Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come !
Aloha!
L’chaim,
Wela

By: Cornelius Keissilas

Cornelius Keissilas — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:42:23 +0000

I think that Mark’s idea is excellent! It should be adopted.
The Videos are amazing! Very beautiful. They make you feel good and want to do the same things. People certainly are going to be affected by them.

By: Beth

Beth — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:35:13 +0000

Advertising influences all of us – so ads like this promoting caring for each other could have an impact – especially if done on a grand scale. Like any successful marketing campaign, a catchy, pithy slogan is needed to encapsulate the idea, to foster retention of it, and to help spread it.

Do you remember the movie Pay It Forward? One lonely high school teacher assigns his student’s each the task to make a difference in the world. And one child does. Each action he makes to the betterment of someone else’s life yields a web of such related good actions.

Heightening awareness of the benefits of altruism would undoubtedly help change the consciousness of the world – but is this enough?

By: Riggan

Riggan — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:02:29 +0000

I think every little bit helps, but it will take much more than just this type of commercial to make a dent. And the real opportunity to make an influence is with the children. The more messages we can get out to them – games, TV shows, movies, school curriculum, etc – that reflect altruistic values and comparison with the systems in Nature, the more likely we will have success. Too many adults are already so caught up and invested in their egoism that there is no chance to reach them.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:27:18 +0000

I think that the idea of commercials that will promote true altruistic values is a wonderful idea that could really have a major effect on the way people think and act. Commercials make people want things that they don’t need and didn’t want till a commercial made it a most have in there life. In order for this to really work it would need to have a universal message that gives true examples from nature on how we can change the would if we change our thoughts and actions towards others.

By: mike pequeen

mike pequeen — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:20:53 +0000

Another thing here is that we are dealing with people who are complete egoist and only want for themselves, but what is it that they really want?
To receive true happiness, to fullfill the empty space in there hearts. but when they begin to see ads for an alturistic society we all know from experience that they will say…well whats in it for me. I feel if we can somehow show the people the difference between pleasures of this world and pleasure from alturism, that the pleasure received from things like drugs, entertainment, sports, or even one night relationships. will leave them empty
inside and wanting more, thus creating a distraction from the goal
of creation, as they continue depresion sets in. then obesity,
then fear, then hatred for the neighbors, then greed, and so on….until we keep all our resources for ourselves to make a profit from the very thing we should be sharing.
NOW.
We all are on a persuit of happiness and we all think that if we have an abondance of these things especially money that we will be happy. on the contrary its opposite the more we gain the more we sink into our own self love.
In this we can actually show what the ego is. once the ego has been identified by the masses, then they will feel the need to change the world from their own hearts and turn to the creator and pray that the quality of the ego be changed to alturism.
So what is the benifit of an alturistic society?
the answer is revealed once the ego is discovered as the root of all evil.

By: sonia gregerson

sonia gregerson — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:10:50 +0000

Any method that will capture a person’s attention can be used. The video is a great method for our “60 second” snap shot of our message.
Since we all influence each other, if you show the message in different ways this will subliminally enter the whole worlds mind.
If our intention is for a better world thru aultruism let influence it in any way we can.

By: Miriam

Miriam — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:45:44 +0000

In the world today we see various levels of altruism. People donate money to charity and organizations, others volunteer in hospitals and schools, and big corporations/organizations donate to hospitals and starving children in Africa. The truth to be told is – nothing ever helps. There aren’t less starving people in the world, people don’t get healthier, and the education system is deteriorating – drugs, violence, shootings and what not, in spite of all the efforts made to make the world a better and safer place.

We try the best that we can to help, and yet there still seems to be no balance whatsoever between our actions and what we’re supposed to do. In my opinion there must be something wrong with what we do. The conclusion is that our actions do not go hand-in-hand with what we are required to be and what we are here for. We need a different degree of altruism; we need to find a balance with nature on a much higher level. We must search for the source/force that will help us become true altruists, because alone we cannot do it.

By: Zsolt

Zsolt — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:39:04 +0000

I agree that every little counts, lots of pennies accumulate.
I also think celebrity endorsement would work well in today’s society, as everybody is watching the “rich and famous”.
The most important target audience still should be the children and teenagers as the future generation.

By: leah

leah — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:35:20 +0000

Yes, I also think that the videos promoting altruistic behaviour could work. To save the costs and trouble of having big companies doing them, it could be something like Shana Tova contest, where everyone could film a short video about himself/others doing good deeds and place it on YouTube. This way it will be real deeds and real people.

If we are talking about educating children or even adults, then everyone should be making videos (not just watching them) that show how in nature, everyone is taking care of each other. I think it’s important to draw a parallel between Nature’s laws and human behaviour, showing that we should act like Nature does, and that if we don’t, we get into trouble.

By: Helen

Helen — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:17:10 +0000

Above videos bring a good message to a public, but one can ask how entire humanity can act on it? It seems surreal. From history examples we see that societies that were built on altruistic values had failed. Therefore there should be deeper understanding why altruism is a necessity rather then a good gesture. Efforts should be put to educate public about interconnection and that each individual is a part of a whole.

By: Thomas Dorben

Thomas Dorben — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:50:49 +0000

I think every altruistic act no matter how small can become contagious after all we are influenced by our enviroment this type of video appeals to the general public.

By: SC

SC — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:15:51 +0000

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary listed ‘altruism’ as
1 : unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others

True interpretation of the meaning of ‘unselfish’ is thoughts and action preluded by an unselfish intention that are not selfish. ‘Welfare’ means for the good of others not to make others happy because being happy doesn’t mean it is good.

Yes I agree we need Altruism in this world. Only when everyone in the world has unselfish intention towards everyone around him/her can we change the world for the better! Our only hope is Altruism! How else can we change the world? It is so obvious that capitalism is a one sided regime where the rich get richer and poor get poorer. World economies crumbles because each country are selfish, food crisis and weather crisis occurs because we are selfish, we all live in One place called Earth and there is no other place to go to. We are all in One boat ‘Planet Earth’ anyone who drills a hole will sink the whole boat. With so many people and nations drilling a hole in the boat how can it get any better? Only through Altruism!

By: Jadranka

Jadranka — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:00:49 +0000

“It is hardly a secret that humanity is in a deep crisis. Many of us already feel it. Sensations of meaninglessness, frustration, and emptiness engulf our lives…It seems we have lost control of our lives and unable to head off problems they unfold…To resolve our problems, we first need to understand human nature and the nature of the world. If we understand our own nature and the laws affecting us, we will know where we are erring and what we must do to end the predicament we’re in.”
______________________
“We must wake up and understand that the problems that cloud our present lives are not coincidental; they cannot be resolved by any means that we know from the past. They will not stop, but will worsen until we change direction and begin to function in accord with the comprehensive low of Nature-the low of altruism.”

————————–

“The world that envy, lust, and honor bring us from is this world; but the world they bring us to is the spiritual world, a higher degree of Nature. However, there is a condition: it happens only if we channel these natural inclinations in a positive and beneficial direction, enabling us to attain balance with Nature’s altruistic force.”

Rav Michael Laitman, “From Chaos to Harmony”