What makes charity happen? I reckon it is the goodness in people's hearts. Probably people see a need that they can meet and they jump to it. They see a devastating truth and say "it oughtn't to be" so they pull out the pocketbook or roll up their sleeves and get to work.
For some.
For many charity is that tiny pest on the budget list, spawned from guilt or social position.
For others, like say companies, it is an ad campaign. We're gonna give money to these folks!
The ethics of our giving can only be solved in our own hearts, but something else bugs me.
It's this business of what we are giving to. I mean there are some ridiculous charities out there. Others aren't foolish, they are noble even, but they don't make sense in light of other problems.
Take Coca-Cola for instance, this year they had a big campaign to save the homes of Polar Bears with the pristine, white arctic mammals depicted on the front giving us all a warm holiday feel. Imagine Coca-Cola putting a homeless human on their cans. "Save this man's home." or a starving child. That's a little morbid for me to see everytime I tip up the can of carbonated soda. It wouldn't sit well with the syrupy sweetness.
I know I'll seem ignorant when I take off after the enormous Going Green fad (yes fad, that's not charity, that's pop culture). I mean if we don't take care of the planet then people will surcease to exist. Okay, so take care of the planet. Don't do and you won't have to undo. But before we go spend money on the trees let's take care of the people. People that are starving or living endangered lifestyles or dying from preventable diseases.
It's not right.
I hear you. I'm not exactly a tree hugger.
ReplyDeleteThis kind of living starts with you Mr. Capps. AND with me. I like how in the bible Jesus says that if you see your brother in need, without food, clothing, and say to him, I wish you well and will pray for you, but do nothing for him to help his sad circustance then you have not acted with heart and love.
It starts with one person. There are a million people out. We encounter many everyday. So who are the charity cases?
I see what you're saying, but I disagree with some of it.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to help other people in need. There are obviously far too many people in poverty and pain, and I do believe that energy should be spent trying to help them.
What I disagree with you about, though, is this line right here: "But before we go spend money on the trees let's take care of the people. People that are starving or living endangered lifestyles or dying from preventable diseases."
It's really a matter of big picture vs. small picture thinking, and there's something admirable about small picture thinking. But I think that it's more important to look at the survival of humanity as a whole more than it is to look at the percentage of us that is suffering.
The wonderful thing is, both can be dealt with at the same time. Saying that we shouldn't care as much about the environment is similar to saying that we shouldn't worry about the forest being on fire, but instead we should be focusing all of our attention on a few deer who have fallen ill.
Again, not saying that your point about the need to help others is wrong (it isn't). But we shouldn't over-inflate the importance of the individual compared to the importance of the world.