A lesson in humility

I had a lesson today. In discussing some of the bullshit in the world with a couple of good fellas, I had the great fortune of discovering that I had a misunderstanding of altruism. I understood altruism to be like giving someone in need your last loaf of bread - because they were in need. Does that not leave you without bread? I can see sharing to be an option, but then that would be selfish to a degree wouldn't it? Could 'sharing' be construed as altruistic? In doing some research on altruism, I stumbled upon a site that gave an argument as to why altruistic behavior could be harmful (and the only reason I introduce the idea is so I can illustrate why the idea of good and bad isn't always as clear as we think it to be).

"On a flight I took the other day, I watched the stewardess give the usual five minute safety presentation, and for the first time stopped to think about the implications of some of her words, which I had heard hundreds of times before without noticing them.

In the event the cabin depressurizes, oxygen masks will automatically drop from the ceiling. The stewardess warned us to make sure we put our own masks on before attempting to help our seatmates with theirs. This is part of an FAA-approved script, from which they never depart in making these presentations.

I imagine that this warning is aimed at the following scenario. The cabin depressurizes and anyone without a mask will become unconscious in moments. Your seatmates are children or otherwise helpless. If you attempt to help them without securing your own mask first, you will pass out without succeeding and everyone will die or become incapacitated. If you put your own mask on, your seatmates may pass out but will revive as soon as you have placed their masks on their faces. Thus, your attempt to help them will only succeed if you help yourself first."
The Ethical Spectacle - Feb 1997 - www.spectacle.org

Do we not have to make sure that our needs are met first? Would it be bad to help ourselves first instead of our seatmates? I guess it all depends on the outcome?

FMF