Educating youth to be selfless: socio-pedagogical aspects

Abstract

Selflessness, or the capacity for altruistic love, is an important test of maturity and the basic criterion for salvation. The first condition for teaching young people selfless behavior is to protect them from developing extreme attitudes: selfishness on the one hand, and, confusing selfless care for one's neighbor with being a naive victim to those who do not love us on the other. The second condition is to bring young people closer to God, because He teaches us sacrificial and wise love at the same time. The third condition is to teach young people a mature love for oneself, because only a person who loves himself or herself is capable of loving other people. The fourth condition is to explain to the students that unselfish love for one's neighbor - if it is shown in a way that takes into account the behavior of the person we are helping – does not mean that we are giving up on our own happiness but that we are following a path to joy shown to us by Jesus.