what truly constitutes as charity? to be honest, this is something that has always interested me, ever since i started seeing those "adopt this child in a third world country" ads on tv. i always felt so awful seeing those small small children who clearly had so much less than i did.
and yet, part of me was skeptical. how did i know for sure that all the money i was sending away was being sent right to that little girl or boy who needs my help? i didn't. for all i knew, 2 cents of every dollar was actually being given to help, or 98 cents of my dollar was being given to help.
does seeing the effects of one's charity make a difference? unfortunately, it does. in this day, we need to see the fruits of our labors, charity and otherwise. not knowing all the facts makes us cynical, then mistrusting, and finally unwilling to help. but have we considered that maybe it's the fact that we're helping at all that counts? we haven't because the sentiment of "even one person can make a difference" has been erased from our cliches of thought. we all had that experience of being a child and working so hard to make a change only to be let down in the worst way possible. maybe it was a lemonade stand to raise money for a cause, maybe it was trying to help out a neighbor during the summer, anything. not only were we let down by the lack of follow through, but we were taught from that moment on that success is only the measure of the product of our work.
as we've grown older, this idea has only been further enhanced by each stage of our life. success in high school means a diploma, in college it's a degree, in life it's a job and a family. with a charity, success is seeing the change we sought out to bring. for some this mantra might still hold true, but i'm beginning to realize that success is really the growth of something. for all i know, my 2 cents can do a lot more out there in the world than in my pocket, and that's a risk i'm willing to take.
and yet, part of me was skeptical. how did i know for sure that all the money i was sending away was being sent right to that little girl or boy who needs my help? i didn't. for all i knew, 2 cents of every dollar was actually being given to help, or 98 cents of my dollar was being given to help.
does seeing the effects of one's charity make a difference? unfortunately, it does. in this day, we need to see the fruits of our labors, charity and otherwise. not knowing all the facts makes us cynical, then mistrusting, and finally unwilling to help. but have we considered that maybe it's the fact that we're helping at all that counts? we haven't because the sentiment of "even one person can make a difference" has been erased from our cliches of thought. we all had that experience of being a child and working so hard to make a change only to be let down in the worst way possible. maybe it was a lemonade stand to raise money for a cause, maybe it was trying to help out a neighbor during the summer, anything. not only were we let down by the lack of follow through, but we were taught from that moment on that success is only the measure of the product of our work.
as we've grown older, this idea has only been further enhanced by each stage of our life. success in high school means a diploma, in college it's a degree, in life it's a job and a family. with a charity, success is seeing the change we sought out to bring. for some this mantra might still hold true, but i'm beginning to realize that success is really the growth of something. for all i know, my 2 cents can do a lot more out there in the world than in my pocket, and that's a risk i'm willing to take.
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