Altruism

Can anyone think of any examples of true altruism?

There are consequences for every action.

I read about a dog in London who escaped from his cage and freed other dogs.
Why did he free the other dogs? Was he just being altruistic? Or did he want playmates?

Did Mother Teresa and Gandhi live their lives in order to get brownie points with God?

Does a firefighter save others due to a hero complex?

Does a person sacrifice themselves for others for a reward in the afterlife.

We can always think of favorable consequences to benevolent actions.
Are the actors aware of those consequences? Did the promise of favorable outcome cause their actions?

I find that True altruism has to reside in the moment,
An action without prior thought.
Can one train oneself to be thoughtlessly benevolent?
Having long ago contemplated the consequences of good acts and resigned oneself to act benevolently in the future without thought.

Can a person act without motivation?

Personally, if benevolent opportunity arises; I ask myself if there's any good reason to pass it up.
I realize that, in most cases, deeds aren't an inconvenience. There's no good reason not to be benevolent.

I'm sometimes plagued by thoughts of the times I could have helped someone but didn't.
I feel like a big asshole.
Maybe i do good to ward off guilt.

Maybe it's a gene.