Altruism

Is altruism an absolute and can we do anything without a motive of personal gain? These questions were asked by my nephew who believes that he can and should live without letting anyone use him for their gain. He believes that it would be better to be the very best garbage collector that he can be rather than "sell his soul" to a corporate monger that will use him and not value his work. Naturally a discussion with six other seasoned adults went off on many tangents. The fact remains; no one person is self sufficient. We borrow from nature (if not man) for food and shelter and for many other needs and wants; goods and services. Altruism is, if not selfless giving, a way to give back. Our motives for giving might be questioned (like in the movie "Blind Side") but that should not stop us from finding creative ways to do things for others. It should not stop us from doing things as a community to collectively work together for progress and improvement.
My nephew will say I missed his point, which was more about why we indoctrinate our children will Sunday School stories and church obligations when we don't really practice what we preach. There does seem to be a massive exodus from churches and worship services. The original "Fear and Obey God" purpose is losing its strength. In the history of religion we know that leads to disaster. It is easy to be overtaken when we lose our sense of community, common ground and and moral code. " Come on people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another right now"