"Look I've just been given a sticker from xxxx, put a whole quid in that box. Well that's my bit done for a while."
So, you have satisfied your bi monthly need to put £1 into a charity box to make yourself feel good, but is that really enough?
Now i'm not at all suggesting that you should stop doing this and that charities don't need your help, because without the goodwill of the people things would be a lot different!
I'm simply arguing that we all need to do more than simply putting 20pence into a charity box every so often, things that don't necessarily even involve money.
The world is a crazy place and the only way it can ever change is through you.. Yes you. Each and every one of you. This doesn't mean that we should all give up our 9-5 jobs to go and work in Africa but we need to start practicing selflessness, alturism.
It should not be the case that good deeds are a rarity, an exception to the rule. Something that you go home and tell all of your friends about because it is something so out of the ordinary. Instead they should be the norm.
It is rather upsetting if you think about the way a stranger looks at you in shock when you offer them help, it just shows how much of a rarity helpfulness is in general!
I have pretty much gotten used to lugging my heavy suitcase to and from Southampton on the train and through the underground without assistance (i'm 5ft 1 and my suitcase is more than half the size of me!) but when I am offered help it makes my day!
I saw an old lady dragging a huge tin of vegetable oil down the high street and rushed over to help. I ended up walking 30 minutes down the road in the opposite direction of my house with that oil. Although my hands turned red blue and purple I did feel good knowing that her hands were in a better state than mine! (Plus it gave me a good excuse for not going to my lecture)
Where did all the good people go?
It's the little things that really make a difference and slowly but surely small good deeds will lead to a change within your circle and spread to others.
You may feel disheartened or think some people are just selfish and may feel your deeds are wasted and believe me I have felt this way! However, don't let others actions change your mentality. Just do you, and you'll be fine and I promise, your goodness will be recognised by more people than you think!
If everyone were to act in the same way because of one person's actions then nothing will change, it's better to be unique than ordinary right? Making someone happy through a small act of kindness not only makes them feel good but will make you feel good.
A list of some charity websites that you can involve yourselves in if you feel inspired!:
E.g Marie Curie Daffodil selling, Marie Curie Tea Party: http://www.mariecurie.org.uk/?gclid=CKvJheGJm64CFUcTfAodvx5aJw
Be part of the Anthony Nolan team for the London Marathon: http://www.anthonynolan.org/
There are always events featured on the ACLT website: http://www.aclt.org/
I completely agree! The pure dismay that is read on someone's face when they hear you offer a helping handle is very sobering; it is worrying to think that these barriers we have built merely created self contained, obsessed and involved systems that we forget we are locked in.
ReplyDeleteYour post seems to iterate the point that shoving a pound into a charity tin equates to giving some coppers to a homeless person (that isn't to imply that raising money for charity is not needed) - but what kind of impact does that have on the rest of the world and the views of those individuals trapped within their self-concerned thoughts?
After reading this, it reminds me that truly helping someone is not paying them off - but listening, helping and caring for them. Also, that raising awareness isn't simply force-feeding others guilt-laden information and statistics but truly breaking down those barriers and building an empathetic link between an individual and the world around them which is screaming for help.
Oh, it's all getting a little fervent now!
Phew! Great points :)