christopherj comments on Formative Youth - Less Wrong
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I would be wary of declaring that an attitude near-universal to my species, came about as a result of some series of childhood events. Altruism is inherent in chimps and humans, and variation thereof has a strong genetic component as shown by fraternal/identical twin studies. In other words, there's a reason we write and enjoy stories with altruistic heroes. Most people would be glad to save the world given half a chance -- but unlike you, most people think they don't have that chance. Your choice to focus your altruism on global-scale problems, and to attempt the seemingly impossible, does match nicely with superheros and books -- but it is only your choice to act in that regard, that is at all rare.