Solidarity: Charity and giving

From a very young age we all learn to share. It is something we learnt from my parents at home, from teachers at school and from friends in playground. However when adulthood arrives and we earn our own money, sharing is easier but also much more difficult than it was in childhood. There seems to be many different barriers and questions to giving as so many organisations want our money,  and it can be time consuming choosing the right one (Abrams, 2006). Many questions will arise like; who should I give the money to? what should the cause go towards? for how long do I give for? how much should I give?

To solve these tough issues ideally people need to give up time, money and come together as one and work through a solution peacefully.  But this way is too difficult, unless you are a billionaire or have an endless amount of time, and it is also too unrealistic to produce results, therefore force in the form of charity is a better, default option (IIIingworth, 2011). Personally I think giving is apart of the moral responsibility for those who can afford to give, and only to give as they feel led. However when considering that giving is already current in society and yet issues such as poverty are ongoing, different attitudes need to be recognised.

Philanthophy as a sign of love and caring within society regarding 'what it means to be a human' focuses on the cause of the problem. It also tries to avoid feeding the issue with money as it actually thinking about its impact. Giving could be a form of thoughtful action like sponsoring a child or giving funds for a clean community water source. The process of giving has to start somewhere and in the form of donations whether it be 10% of someone's income or a comfort amount can make all the difference (Illingworth, et al, 2011).  

As long as large sections of humanity are suffering chronic poverty and dying from treatable disease, I believe organised giving regardless of size can save or enhance millions of lives. We don't need to have massive wealth to be charitable and it is not the size of the amount that counts, it is how you use it!

References:
Abrams, H. N. (2006). World changing: a user’s guide for the 21st century. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

Illingworth, P., Pogge, T. & Wenar, L. (2011). Introduction and Chapter 1: What Should A Billionaire Give – And What Should You? In Giving Well: The Ethics of Philanthropy. London: Oxford Scholarship Online