We Don’t Do Charity Correctly
If you’re like me, you’ve always struggled with charity and similar acts of human decency. That’s not to suggest that I’m a soulless monster incapable of compassion. I am, but I don’t want to suggest that’s the reason for my struggle with charity. This time of year, charitable opportunities abound so I’d like to share a few examples of charity that I’ve come across recently, explain why they are beautiful, and then why I have a problem with them.
First though, a disclaimer.
I’m going to hit this point a couple times throughout our time together so let me start here. Of course, charitable endeavors, acts of kindness, and general demonstrations of humanity are good things. I’m not skeptical or suspicious of charity in and of itself. My conflict comes about because of the ways charity manifests and the systems that seem overly reliant on it.
My wife and I were talking recently about the kinds of traditions we want our daughter to grow up associating with the holidays. We both agreed that giving back or service should be a part of that. My wife mentioned an idea where parents leave an empty box under the tree so for every new gift the child receives, an old item that it replaces goes in the box to be donated to a family in need.
I really like this idea. It is a hands-on lesson to children on privilege and helps cut down on clutter. If your family celebrates in such a way, hats off to you. There is another shoe coming but first a couple more anecdotes.
I ran across the following examples on “Some More News”, a YouTube news channel. Recently featured was the case of a teacher who ran out of sick days visiting his daughter who was undergoing cancer treatment. The teacher’s coworkers sacrificed some of their sick time and gave it to this teacher. A beautiful, heartwarming story that gives hope for humanity.
Also featured, was the story of a young child selling lemonade to raise money for his own adoption. Again, it’s an inspiring story of perseverance and grit that speaks volumes about the future.
Both of those stories are good, and the people involved are the kinds of people we should all strive to become. That’s why they are everywhere this time of year as news agencies aim to showcase the brighter side of our species. Even the empty box under the tree thing will be reported on as a “feel-good” piece. What so often gets lost in the reporting is the fact that systems must be terribly broken to require that kind of charity.
What does it say that some people will only engage in charity as a way of discarding their leftovers? What comfortable privilege that speaks of! What does it say when a teacher can only visit his daughter undergoing cancer treatment at the expense of others? It couldn’t possibly have anything to do with our healthcare system and low teacher benefits. What does it say about our society that the adoption of a disadvantaged child is reliant on how much lemon-flavored sugar water we are willing to buy from that same disadvantaged child?
As I have tried to make clear in this piece, if you engage in charitable activities, you’re the best. You’re better than me, certainly. If you do any of the things listed above, you should at least get a thank-you card from society. Those kinds of charity are self-sustaining though because they patch, rather than fix society’s ills. Shouldn’t the ultimate goal be for charity to be unnecessary?
