Charity, Geldof, Bin Laden and Bunny Rabbits - you choose!
My friend Carly recently posted about her western-civilization guilt when she saw the devastation from the hurricanes . . . in the poorer countries! Forget Katrina! (okay, she didn't mention Katrina, probably because she forgot about it compared to the devastation elsewhere, as she should) She was wondering what she could do to really make a difference, and her incredibly lucky life, including her $150 running shoes, were really preying on her mind. She asked if anyone else feels that way. I was the first person to answer, and I got all caught up in it . . . . here is the gist of what I said.
Sure, I think about charity, and how lucky I am. But I have some strong beliefs about being involved in charity. The thing is not to get caught up in sentimentality, if you plan to give money. It's fine if sentimentality gets you motivated to volunteer or start looking to give to charity . . .
For example, I got irritated when I heard that ten bucks of the money I paid for a swing class went to hurricane victims in the states. The states? Unlike 90% of the countries in the world, they had the money to deal with H. Katrina in the best way possible! If their government would prefer to dick around for a while or bomb some places off continent, it really doesn't make me feel guilty. (I'll note here that if Canada has some disaster relief specialists, they should go to Katrina or wherever they can do the most good, even if it is in the USA). I feel more guilt for any one of the underfed children that die every three seconds . . . or disasters that happen in places where the people are already living on the edge, in countries that probably do get the shaft from rich swollen nations like Canada.
So, even if the starving, fly-ridden children on the TV are tugging at your heartstrings, do some research before 'calling that number' to 'do your part'. When my parents decided to foster a kid in my brother's name (they make him do chores to support the kid, hoping that it would put it all into perspective!), they did some real internet hunting for the right agency. First off, they looked for one that spent the highest money percentage on the children, versus infrastructure and advertising. Then they confirmed that it was a secular (IE non-religious) agency, so the kid wasn't learning Christianity with his ABCs. They researched countries to find out where there was the highest need. In the end, they sponser a kid in Bangladesh (80% Muslim, not a great mainstay of the Christian Children's Fund). The thing is that despite some colouration difference and language barrier, the little dude looks a lot like my brother did. His mother sent us a message about him - he doesn't work as hard at his schoolwork as he should, but he likes soccer and is a relatively good kid. He sent us a nice drawing of some soccer players, with rather whimsical colours and numbers of digits per hand.
Though obviously we liked the letter, I still would have preferred no letter (that translator could have been digging latrines or something, really) and more money to the kid. A little more rice for his sister or something, whatever. I'm sure the personal connection keeps the money coming in, but it shouldn't.
I think if someone wants to feel that personal connection, they should go give of themselves. Be the person that gives their time to man the phonelines for a funding drive, or even better, volunteer your time with people who need attention. I know that Carly has done that already, and hopefully felt the rewards just like I do every time someone is happy to see me walk into their hospital ward.
The whole 'give of yourself' thing was stolen, of course. Bob Geldof meant something similar when he said it - he meant that a person should give something from the heart, and get personally involved. It should be more than just throwing money at a supplicant - that is why he got that whole Band Aid, Live Aid, and Live 8 shebang started, continued, and accomplished. I read his biography, after hearing a two hour long monologue from my dad which started off with him horrified and disgusted that I didn't know the Live Aid story in the first place.
Let me tell you, if you want to know more about giving of yourself and some shocking facts about world poverty and disaster relief, you should check out that book: "Is that it?" By Bob Geldof. The book also confirms my belief that you don't have to be a nice person to be a good person. It was written pretty soon after Live Aid, so it includes some additional shocking things about old public schools in Ireland and what it's like to be famous, but the story and the politics are classic and ongoing.
Well, that sort of went all over the place . . . but what I mean is that yes, I do think about that stuff, and how wasteful I am and our society is, etc etc. And I should be doing more about it. I've joined the Emergency Social Services group in Vic (If you don't know what that is, you should really check it out! There are ESS groups all over BC and maybe Canada) and I volunteer a bit with old people and young people who need friends or mentors. It's not that much of my time, and it is rewarding as all hell. But in case that makes me sound good, I still spend money on clothes and media that should be spent on something useful or someone more worthy. Lets not even talk about how much money I burn on my many and various fatuous hobbies.
I like to comfort myself with the thought that when I have soothed (or preferably retrained) my materialistic soul and feel financially secure in the future (and I will try to shame myself into making that happen soon) I will give money to charity and drive only hybrid cars. I personally enjoy the new slogan from the states "If you drive alone, you drive with Bin Laden!". Well, I think it means that you are being wasteful while contributing to pollution, lousy politics, and the oppression and bombing of relatively innocent people.
So, you think it's funny that I went from charity to material wastefullness and pollution? They are all connected, my friend. It's all about keeping your eyes open and trying to be a better human citizen. Pollution will kill people in the end too, along with lots of fuzzy bunny rabbits and dolfins. LOTS of dead dolfins, and sea turtles and photographically inferior but worthy insects and plants and stuff. (But think dolfins and marmots and Africans to get that sentimentality flowing). Western civilization is all about using and abusing, but if education trumps propaganda, things could change.
Right?
Sure, I think about charity, and how lucky I am. But I have some strong beliefs about being involved in charity. The thing is not to get caught up in sentimentality, if you plan to give money. It's fine if sentimentality gets you motivated to volunteer or start looking to give to charity . . .
For example, I got irritated when I heard that ten bucks of the money I paid for a swing class went to hurricane victims in the states. The states? Unlike 90% of the countries in the world, they had the money to deal with H. Katrina in the best way possible! If their government would prefer to dick around for a while or bomb some places off continent, it really doesn't make me feel guilty. (I'll note here that if Canada has some disaster relief specialists, they should go to Katrina or wherever they can do the most good, even if it is in the USA). I feel more guilt for any one of the underfed children that die every three seconds . . . or disasters that happen in places where the people are already living on the edge, in countries that probably do get the shaft from rich swollen nations like Canada.
So, even if the starving, fly-ridden children on the TV are tugging at your heartstrings, do some research before 'calling that number' to 'do your part'. When my parents decided to foster a kid in my brother's name (they make him do chores to support the kid, hoping that it would put it all into perspective!), they did some real internet hunting for the right agency. First off, they looked for one that spent the highest money percentage on the children, versus infrastructure and advertising. Then they confirmed that it was a secular (IE non-religious) agency, so the kid wasn't learning Christianity with his ABCs. They researched countries to find out where there was the highest need. In the end, they sponser a kid in Bangladesh (80% Muslim, not a great mainstay of the Christian Children's Fund). The thing is that despite some colouration difference and language barrier, the little dude looks a lot like my brother did. His mother sent us a message about him - he doesn't work as hard at his schoolwork as he should, but he likes soccer and is a relatively good kid. He sent us a nice drawing of some soccer players, with rather whimsical colours and numbers of digits per hand.
Though obviously we liked the letter, I still would have preferred no letter (that translator could have been digging latrines or something, really) and more money to the kid. A little more rice for his sister or something, whatever. I'm sure the personal connection keeps the money coming in, but it shouldn't.
I think if someone wants to feel that personal connection, they should go give of themselves. Be the person that gives their time to man the phonelines for a funding drive, or even better, volunteer your time with people who need attention. I know that Carly has done that already, and hopefully felt the rewards just like I do every time someone is happy to see me walk into their hospital ward.
The whole 'give of yourself' thing was stolen, of course. Bob Geldof meant something similar when he said it - he meant that a person should give something from the heart, and get personally involved. It should be more than just throwing money at a supplicant - that is why he got that whole Band Aid, Live Aid, and Live 8 shebang started, continued, and accomplished. I read his biography, after hearing a two hour long monologue from my dad which started off with him horrified and disgusted that I didn't know the Live Aid story in the first place.
Let me tell you, if you want to know more about giving of yourself and some shocking facts about world poverty and disaster relief, you should check out that book: "Is that it?" By Bob Geldof. The book also confirms my belief that you don't have to be a nice person to be a good person. It was written pretty soon after Live Aid, so it includes some additional shocking things about old public schools in Ireland and what it's like to be famous, but the story and the politics are classic and ongoing.
Well, that sort of went all over the place . . . but what I mean is that yes, I do think about that stuff, and how wasteful I am and our society is, etc etc. And I should be doing more about it. I've joined the Emergency Social Services group in Vic (If you don't know what that is, you should really check it out! There are ESS groups all over BC and maybe Canada) and I volunteer a bit with old people and young people who need friends or mentors. It's not that much of my time, and it is rewarding as all hell. But in case that makes me sound good, I still spend money on clothes and media that should be spent on something useful or someone more worthy. Lets not even talk about how much money I burn on my many and various fatuous hobbies.
I like to comfort myself with the thought that when I have soothed (or preferably retrained) my materialistic soul and feel financially secure in the future (and I will try to shame myself into making that happen soon) I will give money to charity and drive only hybrid cars. I personally enjoy the new slogan from the states "If you drive alone, you drive with Bin Laden!". Well, I think it means that you are being wasteful while contributing to pollution, lousy politics, and the oppression and bombing of relatively innocent people.
So, you think it's funny that I went from charity to material wastefullness and pollution? They are all connected, my friend. It's all about keeping your eyes open and trying to be a better human citizen. Pollution will kill people in the end too, along with lots of fuzzy bunny rabbits and dolfins. LOTS of dead dolfins, and sea turtles and photographically inferior but worthy insects and plants and stuff. (But think dolfins and marmots and Africans to get that sentimentality flowing). Western civilization is all about using and abusing, but if education trumps propaganda, things could change.
Right?
posted by Lu Hill at 11:45 a.m.
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