this post excludes philanthropic work for typhoon victims.
i just did my good deed for the season. i feel great.tweets one friend.
christmas time. i see my timelines loaded with do-gooders feeling good with their good deeds. if you try to book parties at orphanages or other social institutions, you'd probably wait in line. schedules are full.
ahhh the wonderful spirit of christmas charity. generosity in the air.
why am i sounding sarcastic? because a part of me struggles with this seasonal charity.
i used to think that way. during christmas, i'd have this heightened sense of giving and forgiving. and i try to channel it by doing these good deeds.
one christmas, my partner then and i decided to pack goodies in a loot bag and give these away during the season anywhere and everywhere. we went to divisoria to get the best bargains. and i even had some of the people in the office help me sort and pack. then we went around the metro, distributing to street beggars and the homeless children. that was fun and it felt good.
then there were the occasional christmas parties at orphanages and halfway houses. asilo, golden acres. we would bring the food and the entertainment. share our blessings. make them smile and happy. and make ourselves happy, too.
then we leave them behind. then we go back to our lives. then for the rest of the year, we conveniently forget about them. meanwhile, they are left alone again. and once those resources we pumped into them gets used up, they are back to begging, back to looking for funding, and making ends meet. taghirap na naman.
and truth of the matter, we never came back. there were always others institutions to help and cheer.
can't doing good be year round? can't we think of them, the less privileged, the have-less all year round? and look at ways we can be helping on a more sustainable basis? if we liked how we felt then, wouldn't we want to feel that way whole year round?
control of this also resides in the institution. they could say no and tell you that they would rather you donate on a regular basis than just hold these once-a-year-or-less parties. but that wouldn't be polite.
oh well. just Thinking Out Loud.
2 comments:
Someone needs to call you out on this. Might as well be me. You Gringe you. :P
...because people don't have bonuses and an extra month of pay the whole year round? It's easy to share when your cup runneth over.
...but yes, there are other ways to help. Charity isn't always about money.
Totally agree with you but as tony said, it is hard to share without the thirteenth month pay...
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