On Charity
Why do we give? What do we give?
These are not meaningless questions. While to some people it is enough to simply donate old things (and this should not be discounted, either. Giving at all is more important than doing it "right"), the question of why and how we do it also matters considerably.
We are all of the Divine: both the giver and the receiver. When we give to prove our superiority or to show off how much we can do, we are denying the divinity of the person or group we are giving too. Many of the charitable organizations that exist as I write this seem to do all they can to strip away the faces or the worth of the people from the giving. One gives because they are lesser, poorer people, not because they are people in need that could just as easily been you, and not because they are also Divine. Charity courts the giver with what giving can do for the giver: fancy dinners, concerts for charity, and other such things. Often these events are lucky to cover their costs, and none of the money actually goes to its desired location. So we get the "pleasure" of giving without even having to give anything to the disadvantaged.
What does this mean? It means we are lying to ourselves when we believe we're doing something good. It also means that we're doing the minimum considered "necessary" for whatever reason we consider it so, and we're not thinking about the people at the other end of the giving. But charity, whether given directly or through government aid, is worthless if all it does is keep someone down. The goal isn't to give enough to let them live another day, although that is necessary too. But the goal is to give them the chance they need to stand on their own feet and not need any more handouts. When done correctly, charity gives people their lives back, not just a meal. Meals are important, clearly. But getting back to a point where the person can feed themselves is even more so, even if it means we've no one to be charitable to. (and that would be a glorious day, when charity would be no longer needed at all).
We are all of the Divine, both the advantaged and the disadvantaged. What we must do is remember this, and do what we can to get the disadvantaged back on their feet. Because it could just as easily be us there and the other person standing over us, wondering. And even more, because they too are part of the Divine and deserving of a hand up, regardless of why they need it. While there are times that what people need most is to be left to fall down on their own, be very sure that you're not tarring everyone with that brush because it's easier than giving.
(and by giving, I do not mean that it has to be money. Time and skills are also gifts. There are jobs that are giving even though the person gets paid, because of what the job is. Don't limit yourself to thinking of charity as a money-only operation. The best gifts are often the ones that are given outside of the faceless charity machine that turns money into food. While those operations are necessary, we cannot give and then remove the poor from the world we see. Don't just give money into the system. Where you can, change the system for the better).
Questions:
What do you give? Why?
What do you think about charitable systems? Do they work? Do they exist to give a hand up or a hand out?
If you could change any charitable system, what would you change? In what way? Now why aren't you doing it?
These are not meaningless questions. While to some people it is enough to simply donate old things (and this should not be discounted, either. Giving at all is more important than doing it "right"), the question of why and how we do it also matters considerably.
We are all of the Divine: both the giver and the receiver. When we give to prove our superiority or to show off how much we can do, we are denying the divinity of the person or group we are giving too. Many of the charitable organizations that exist as I write this seem to do all they can to strip away the faces or the worth of the people from the giving. One gives because they are lesser, poorer people, not because they are people in need that could just as easily been you, and not because they are also Divine. Charity courts the giver with what giving can do for the giver: fancy dinners, concerts for charity, and other such things. Often these events are lucky to cover their costs, and none of the money actually goes to its desired location. So we get the "pleasure" of giving without even having to give anything to the disadvantaged.
What does this mean? It means we are lying to ourselves when we believe we're doing something good. It also means that we're doing the minimum considered "necessary" for whatever reason we consider it so, and we're not thinking about the people at the other end of the giving. But charity, whether given directly or through government aid, is worthless if all it does is keep someone down. The goal isn't to give enough to let them live another day, although that is necessary too. But the goal is to give them the chance they need to stand on their own feet and not need any more handouts. When done correctly, charity gives people their lives back, not just a meal. Meals are important, clearly. But getting back to a point where the person can feed themselves is even more so, even if it means we've no one to be charitable to. (and that would be a glorious day, when charity would be no longer needed at all).
We are all of the Divine, both the advantaged and the disadvantaged. What we must do is remember this, and do what we can to get the disadvantaged back on their feet. Because it could just as easily be us there and the other person standing over us, wondering. And even more, because they too are part of the Divine and deserving of a hand up, regardless of why they need it. While there are times that what people need most is to be left to fall down on their own, be very sure that you're not tarring everyone with that brush because it's easier than giving.
(and by giving, I do not mean that it has to be money. Time and skills are also gifts. There are jobs that are giving even though the person gets paid, because of what the job is. Don't limit yourself to thinking of charity as a money-only operation. The best gifts are often the ones that are given outside of the faceless charity machine that turns money into food. While those operations are necessary, we cannot give and then remove the poor from the world we see. Don't just give money into the system. Where you can, change the system for the better).
Questions:
What do you give? Why?
What do you think about charitable systems? Do they work? Do they exist to give a hand up or a hand out?
If you could change any charitable system, what would you change? In what way? Now why aren't you doing it?
posted by Vieva @ 9:00 AM
1 Comments:
At 7:44 PM,
Anonymous said…
What kind of charity is given is often a problem after a disaster. Some people use a request for clothing as an opportunity to clean out their closets rather than thinking about the needs of the people affected. To me, this is a form of selfishness versus charity. To truely give someone a hand up, you need to give thought to what actually helps and what hinders (work boots versus high heels in the gulf coast).
Giving of time and skills is a very personal way to help a person or a cause. I like that personal connection. I find I learn a lot more about the problem. The more I learn, the more possibilities on how to help spring forth. I also like the creative element that brings to the table.
I give a lot of time to volunteer orgainizations. Not only does it help the problem, it adds to my sense of personal fulfillment.
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