Old Sins cast long Shadows !
Charity! Another word that seems to decay and loose its essence in today’s world. A word that seems to have been left without any meaning, a mere prop for those who cannot brave the consequences of their own decisions.
Does charity only mean giving away a few bucks to some society who apparently works for the upliftment of some poor somewhere? Is money the only parameter to define a human deed that has much more to it than what it seems to mean to most people? More importantly is it the right parameter at all?
As I see it charity is much more than the material manifestation it seems to assume .Charity is not feeling pity or helping someone needy to give yourself a boost or a pat on the back .It is sharing yourself with others – your time , emotions , thoughts , learning with those who want it and need it . It is reaching out to someone on a one to one basis , more to do with an experience that touches one’s soul .Its as much for others as for yourself – enriching one’s emotions and experiences of life ,showing newer perspectives.
It is even more sad when charity is done through someone else. It certainly cannot be passed on or off loaded to someone else. If you can’t even take the trouble of doing it yourself its better that you don’t do it at all. What’s the use if you can’t see the smile that you put on someone’s face , share their experiences , help them through life - guide them , support them , cry when they cry , laugh when they laugh .
The worst abuse of charity is when people consider it as a substitute to assuage their guilty conscience. There is no such equation – good, bad, positive, negative don’t cancel each other out. It’s like a balance sheet – both assets and liabilities exist in God’s books and you are accountable both for your bad deeds as well as the good ones. Hence its better that you don’t do something for which you can’t look at yourself in the mirror without cringing and far better that you do charity for charity’s sake alone.
Does charity only mean giving away a few bucks to some society who apparently works for the upliftment of some poor somewhere? Is money the only parameter to define a human deed that has much more to it than what it seems to mean to most people? More importantly is it the right parameter at all?
As I see it charity is much more than the material manifestation it seems to assume .Charity is not feeling pity or helping someone needy to give yourself a boost or a pat on the back .It is sharing yourself with others – your time , emotions , thoughts , learning with those who want it and need it . It is reaching out to someone on a one to one basis , more to do with an experience that touches one’s soul .Its as much for others as for yourself – enriching one’s emotions and experiences of life ,showing newer perspectives.
It is even more sad when charity is done through someone else. It certainly cannot be passed on or off loaded to someone else. If you can’t even take the trouble of doing it yourself its better that you don’t do it at all. What’s the use if you can’t see the smile that you put on someone’s face , share their experiences , help them through life - guide them , support them , cry when they cry , laugh when they laugh .
The worst abuse of charity is when people consider it as a substitute to assuage their guilty conscience. There is no such equation – good, bad, positive, negative don’t cancel each other out. It’s like a balance sheet – both assets and liabilities exist in God’s books and you are accountable both for your bad deeds as well as the good ones. Hence its better that you don’t do something for which you can’t look at yourself in the mirror without cringing and far better that you do charity for charity’s sake alone.
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posted by shruti @ 7:46 AM
4 Comments:
At Wednesday, 01 March, 2006,
Dewaker Basnet said…
very well written..completely agree with you..
At Thursday, 02 March, 2006,
Mind Curry said…
nice thoughts shurti, as always.
we are ofcourse responsible for our deeds. and we are all culpable and would have made grave mistakes. but we learn from it and become better people. ofcourse some dont learn and prefer to keep doing the mistakes and that makes them "bad".
about charity, charity is material. charity is feeling pity. charity is helping the needy. charity is all that you said its not, and thats why its called charity.
what you are talking about is being a better human being, and having the helpful and concerned character innate in us. that is idealism- when such goodness becomes a way of life - that we may all be that way is a dream. until that day happens, there will be charity.
am sure that was confusing!! :)
had been checking this blog for updates, didnt see any for a while..and then missed this one.
At Thursday, 16 March, 2006,
Padakkam said…
nice thoughts shruti... i could feel the emotion... but practically.. do u think that people will be willing to spend their time and energy for causes like these?
If a rupee collected through a kitty party or fashion show, howsoever disgusting it may be, helps to remove the hunger of a person or helps a kid go to school.. doesnt the end justify the means???
At Tuesday, 11 July, 2006,
bhupesh said…
Another one straight from your heart Shruti..Most of us dont know the true sense of charity.In this materialistic world what else can we expect from hypocrites..Just for the sake of name amd competing with each other our so called generous fraternity shell out money. actually money is not for charity but the price for getting attention in the society.Real charity comes from within. Compassion towards one and all. Equality in all respects,irrespective of caste and creed.Understanding human emotions is a complex task and once if we master this art, we will know the true sense of charity..
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