Most of what I write is a thought experiment. I just write. I'm not big on going back and editing, so some of my thoughts aren't complete nor necessarily reasoned out. Just sayin...
Charities are a nuisance to me. There is a cause for everything it seems. My personal issue with charities is that they seem like an extension of the guilt placed on me during my churchy childhood. There is nothing more that I hate than the passing of the offering plate in a church service. It is a form of public shaming where giving should be a personal thing between you and your God. I was so relieved when my brother's church stopped doing it and he told me that they make much more money through tithing online than they ever did by passing the plate.
So, when a charity asks me for money I am immediately adverse to it because of those same shaming feelings I grew up with. So, part of my issue with charities is my own psychosis towards them.
But, today, after all of these years, I look at charities in a different way. Actually, there are different kinds of charities in my opinion.
The two kinds of charities are those that are what I call 'life saving' charities and then there are 'society building' charities, better defined as non-profits, in my opinion. This article is about the 'life saving' types of charities.
There are two causes that I feel are above all others: homeless and hunger. There is a category number 3 that is a part of that which has to do with helping families with critically ill or handicapped children care for their kids. The 4th category is cancer and other illness research.
But, the first two I feel are the most important because they are solvable in our society.
The United States is the wealthiest country on earth. There is more than enough money laying around to house everyone and feed everyone. But why should those who have the money spend it on people who don't?
The reason for me is a selfish one. Because I hate feeling guilty about every homeless and hungry person I see on the street and those I don't see.
In the Bible, Matthew 25: 35 it reads:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Well, I look at it in a different way now. What was Jesus actually saying here? Was it really a message of 'oughts' to find favor with Him, or was it much simpler than that?
If I knew that my donation would take homeless people off of the streets I would give. Why? Not because I am doing it for Jesus but because I am doing it for myself. It is a selfish reason.
I don't care why a person is homeless. All I care about is that they have a place to call home and that they can sleep in a sheltered place with privacy and dignity. Why? Because it is disturbing to me when I see homeless people. Nobody should be homeless.
Likewise, I don't care why someone is hungry. I don't believe that there should be hungry people in the United States. The worst thing America does is to be so selfish and not solve this issue but to also demean those who are and cast judgement on them as being lazy and living off of the public dole.
I almost believe Jesus was more about his own feelings with these words than as compassion for those who suffer. It isn't about compassion, it is about ridding ourselves of this blight on our eyes and minds. So, in essence, when the homeless and hungry are cared for it serves me. That could be what he actually meant. When you take care of these people you are actually doing it for me 'too'.
Let's face it. Jesus walked the earth 2000 years ago, but we still have hunger, homeless, wars, and all kinds of evil. How can that be if He has saved the world? It is because He knew that He couldn't do it alone. We have to help and it is a constant never ending battle.
Now, I realize that when Jesus talks about saving the world he isn't talking about the physical aspect of our lives but rather the spiritual unreal aspect of our souls. But, the message really is that when you solve your spiritual issues the worldly issues no longer are a problem. But, so many miss the point of it all, even the most devout Christians miss it, in fact, they may miss the point the most.
If we truly want to be spiritually healed we must act with our spirit led motivations. We don't act because it is the 'right or wrong' thing to do. We don't act because it is what 'Jesus' tells us to do. We act because we want our spirits to be free of burden and one of those burdens we all have is the burden of shared responsibility to others.
Why is this important?
Because, when we are in a mode of helping others we eliminate our own needs and feelings of helplessness. The great thing about charity is that anyone can do it, even those who need the charity. When you shift people from being needy to being giving, then the number of needy goes down two fold. Giving empowers people to be the highest form of themselves.
Therefore, I look at charity as a form of 'self-help' in that when you help others you are really empowering yourself and when others help others, they are also helping me as well. Charity is a win-win if you look at it this way and therefore it pays to look at it this way.