by Inah Robles
Paul Ricoeur reminds us of what charity is truly about. It's the act of being selfless, giving without expecting anything in return, and it's the genuine desire to help those in need. However, Yolanda and the events which have transpired made me realize that it is difficult to be charitable-in it's truest sense in our society for three main reasons.
The first reason, is many have conflated the idea of charity and self-gratification. They want to help, because they want to show others they are "helpful", they are "kind" hence the abundance of selfies captured in relief centers. This is dangerous because we must remember that charity is not about yourself, but it's about others. You do not help the poor because it makes YOU feel good, but rather you help them because you know that as human beings, they deserve more. Making them tools for our happiness is no better than treating them as second class citizens, you rob them of their own dignity.
Secondly, we have simplified the idea of charity. Many think that just because you share, you are automatically charitable. The common excuse i hear is "at least I gave something". This mindset is upsetting because charity isn't giving for the sake of giving. The intentions behind the action must be considered as well, it is about genuinely wanting to help out. When one gives for the sake, it becomes tokenistic. Though it may help others, it surely does not depict what charity really is.
More than that, this mindset of "at least i helped" makes it harder to help those in need. It allows people to feel complacent, instead of aiming to do more, many become content with the little they can give--even when they can achieve and contribute so much more.
Lastly, even in the best case scenario where someone is charitable by Ricoeur's definition; it is very hard to practice it. With the skepticism surrounding NGO's and government agencies it makes it difficult for people to donate their hard earned money knowing that there is a great propensity for corruption to be present.
It is sad that the Philippines has come to this. Despite these problems, it is still very heartwarming to see others help out and sacrifice in order to help the victims of Yolanda. I am just hoping that they remember what charity is all about. It's about being a man for others, not for yourself.
I think another pre-requisite for true charity is sincerity. What we do must definitely come from the heart without any hidden agendas. We give because we want to. Once we have this sincerity to help, everything else will follow.
ReplyDeleteI have seen a lot of pictures circulating lately of politicians placing their names in plastic bags, plastering their faces in trucks used for relief operations, and even repacking goods with their own personal ones. This is definitely not true charity because even though they're helping, they are indirectly asking for something in return, for their names to be remembered alongside the help they gave, in the hopes that it will "boost" their number of supporters. It is definitely sad to see that our country has come to this.
Marika King
PH102 - A
Another way to look at things is that charity begins at home. I know we learned about the neighbor and the socius and that they are both two faces of the same coin, but I'd like to focus on the immediate neighbor, the family. I think some people would truly want to be charitable towards others in calamities, but you are right in saying that it is difficult. It's about priorities and some always go ahead of another. I don't think it is right for us to judge others who disappear when the "fad" of being charitable disappears. For all we know, they are experiencing their own difficulties and their own hardships within their immediate neighbors, their families. Let's not always point a finger at others. Let us point at ourselves and reflect first and see how we can be neighbors to others.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason behind some people posting selfies, showing their helping, is really to show other people that they are helping. Some people like me question this, if they are really sincere about what they're doing or are just merely showing off. However, I also encountered people who talk about other people not helping out during the crisis because they didn't see them help out. So the question is what do you do? To post or not to post? Well for me the answer is not to care about what people think and just help out. If you want to post a picture helping out then it's fine as long as you are sincere helping out.
ReplyDelete-Diane Cheng (A)