My friend Mark lost both parents as a child and struggled through several orphanages until adulthood. He said nobody ever gave him everything he needed. In fact, Mark maintains he never got much from anyone. But somehow he got what he absolutely required and today he appreciates the invaluable lessons learnt along that rough, lonely road. Kind-hearted people helped him when he needed it most, like a chain of generous hands assisting in turn. A most popular saying is “Charity begins at home,” because we learns to be kind to our family, before reaching out to friends and then to strangers. The problem with today’s materialistic culture is the inflating of Self into a ridiculous notion. It’s fueled by an unhealthy desire for material goods … all those things we never knew we needed, until we couldn’t live without them! Consumerism is such blinding business that it cleverly relegates altruism to counter-culture, shunning it aside as strange behaviour because it’s bad for the bottom line. Today charity is widely perceived as an oddity, instead of the natural and spontaneous attitude which ensured man’s survival since he first gathered around prehistoric fireplaces.
The stronger our sense of community becomes, the greater our feeling of inter-dependence and trust in a neighborhood which starts at home and spreads throughout the city. Think of it this way: when a cut is infected, does your finger fight it alone? Do mouth, toes and heart consider it a local problem that doesn’t concern them? Not in the least. The body knows that sickness of any one part is a danger to the whole. It’s an integrated, cohesive system where organs spontaneously send available resources to manage any crisis – so the finger heals. Why should it be any different in our rational society? When one man suffers, we all suffer. When one woman cries, we all cry, whether we realize it or not. Just like blood flows through the body with oxygen and energy for all members, so citizens must assist the needy and the sick. Why commit to charity work? … not to save your soul … not for fear of judgment … not expecting something in return, but simply because no man is an island. Any individual misfortune is everyone’s concern. Charity promises that for anything donated with love, we’ll definitely receive much, much more in return. As for my friend Mark, his wisdom is realizing why he received a little bit from many people over his childhood. This inspired him to join our charity as a volunteer to take his turn improving other people’s lives. He learned that helping others is really helping oneself, because self-renunciation makes us great people. It’s one of life’s great paradoxes: giving, is actually receiving!
