Charity

[Snow601]

Your thoughts on 'charity'? The abstract noun?

It's a word I've been considering a lot recently, and is something I value. I think charity is how the good guys win, no matter where they may have come from. Charity is an absolutely essential ingredient in a well-functioning society; no one would be where they are today if it wasn't for somebody's charity. And charity leads to connection, which leads to opportunity.

Charity equalises and makes the world a better place for everyone--perhaps the light against the darkness. It's also something that's not entertained in the right spirit within the selfish. And obfuscated. I'll continue to post more of my thoughts on this topic.

Charity carries a very broad meaning.

 

[Cinnabar]

Charity carries a positive aesthetic and moral association, but the word itself acquires meaning only when viewed through the lens of action in the real world and under specific circumstances.

What impresses me is the charity of a retired old lady who makes a gift from savings gained through hardship not the charity of an ultra rich billionaire who pledges 99.9% of what they own at the end of their exploitative life.

If all the nation's systems, taxation and redistribution were set up fairly then charity would not be essential. It is because we live in an unfair world where wealth is extracted bottom up that individuals accumulate excessive amounts of wealth making grand acts of charity possible for them and necessary for the downtrodden.

 

[Hyacinth]

Charity to me can most be seen in times of crisis. There will always be those who takes advantage of those going through disasters for evil purposes or their own humor of watching others’ struggles so I find in those moments that I have to intentionally seek out “neighbor helping neighbor” stories versus the news where all I see is corruption, fake ways to take money… preying on the victims, and other extremes however it’s in the “feel good” stories that I intentionally set my eyes on where I have glimmers in humanity and allows me to see the good in society versus the bad. To me charity during these moments are good to see. That is when the true America shines through. I have never been through a natural disaster personally where a neighbor didn’t stop to help. That is the “old” America that I grew up with and that I loved.

 

[Wyote]

A charitable mindset is more essential than any charitable gift

 

[Princess Zucchini]

I think there's always going to be a learning curve where you first help all the wrong people. Most large charities aren't real, and at least half of the small ones are exploitative. However, I think taking charitable action is the only path forward.

I believe it should be as local as possible. If there's a disaster in another part of the world, odds are their government will help in some way and/or other people from around the world will help? But who will help your friend or neighbor who isn't making headlines? They're around you for a reason. They're in your life for a reason.

Something very important to look out for: performative suffering (such as what people with personality disorders will sometimes do) is almost always fictitious, BUT it will always be more appealing than REAL suffering. Unfortunately, fake victims of the emo variety envy people who have real needs, because of the attention it gets, and will copy other people's tragedies and sex them up a bit. This cuts off real victims from resources in dangerous times.

People who need charity can be stressed, trauma dump, have unappealing trauma responses and problems that are uneasy to solve. People want TV trauma: sexy and fixable. They a product that makes them feel like a hero. Real charity is helping people that irritate you, especially if you can *really* help one person at a time.

 

[Princess Zucchini]

Charity carries a positive aesthetic and moral association, but the word itself acquires meaning only when viewed through the lens of action in the real world and under specific circumstances.

What impresses me is the charity of a retired old lady who makes a gift from savings gained through hardship not the charity of an ultra rich billionaire who pledges 99.9% of what they own at the end of their exploitative life.

If all the nation's systems, taxation and redistribution were set up fairly then charity would not be essential. It is because we live in an unfair world where wealth is extracted bottom up that individuals accumulate excessive amounts of wealth making grand acts of charity possible for them and necessary for the downtrodden.

I think governments should strive for perfection in systems that help the poor, for example. However, I think humanity would suffer if people strived for letting the government totally handle charity. Something would die in us.

 

[Korg]

The spirit of it is great and probably essential for a functioning society. The formal implementation via non-profits and their relationship to government is where I have my issues.


I, personally, have benefited from charity in the form of small acts of selflessness. One of my favorite examples:

Many years ago, I only had enough money to wash the clothes I was wearing in a laundromat. I'd been living in them for days and smelled terrible. I think she noticed I'd taken them out of the washer and was folding them instead of drying and asked me about it. I explained I was out of money but was working on a project that could potentially launch my career and change my life. It was my dream, etc.

She gave me the coins to dry them. I'll always remember that. I was so lost in misanthropy and nihilism back then and something about her doing that poked a small hole in my worldview. Since then, I've occasionally paid it forward through my own small acts of charitable kindness.