Lend a helping hand and go
Everybody likes to help. Not necessarily because it makes others’ situation better but because the act of charity makes us feel better about ourselves. We are wired in such a way that the seed of self-preservation reigns supreme. We didn’t want the universe to circle around us; we just ended up at its center by design. All our primal characteristics remain intact irrespective of how much we lick the glossy face of modernity. Which is why strangers tend to reveal who we truly are more often than those who know us.
Charity is a sensitive topic. Those who suggest that we indulge in it as we desire to procure likes and hearts on social media overlook the fact that Internet penetration is far away from breaching the 50% mark. Most people help others because they want to or they can — so why not? Humans are social beings and we place a lot of importance on cooperation. However, in the online world, you might want to think twice before offering a lending hand. You don’t know whether that link is legit or whether that organization is indeed dedicated to disadvantaged communities. So, in a way, you are handicapped by lack of knowledge and depth. You might want to pitch in but your mind is also struggling with clarity. This situation is not very different from the way media treats us nowadays; you are often left in a fix on whom to believe and whom to discard.
Anyway, this week, I received a random call asking for donation for a baby’s operation. I asked the lady on the other hand to drop me a message on WhatsApp since she already had my number. I messaged her back asking how did she get my number in the first place. As you can notice, at that point of time, the dubious nature of her call outweighed the possibility of a child in need of a surgery. She replied saying that her organization gets numbers to call through referrals — meaning a friend of mine must have donated to her organization and referred me as a possible donor — before repeating her trained trope about a baby-is-in-dire need. I asked her to share a link so that I can do the needful, if any. After going through the site, I thought it seemed legit enough and proceeded to donate whatever I could. Exactly 24 hours later, she messaged again as a reminder for donation.
I replied — “Done.”
She ended the conversation on — “Thanks for your contribution.”
This particular incident made me wonder why we do whatever we do when strangers are involved, especially when the latter has a compromised position. Yes, it’s OK to overlook and lay emphasis on how difficult it is to help others in these times of uncertainty. But then, again, wouldn’t that be farcical to say the least? To blanketly assume that we don’t need to put ourselves or our money on line for others could sound street-smart and yet, somehow, it reeks of selfishness of the highest order.
People in their 20s and 30s tend to not talk about charity — when was the last time you were part of a gathering where people discussed how we can do more for others ?— because for some weird reason, it’s not our place to help others so early in our lives. Apparently, old age is what charity is best left for. Also, we are the diligent taxpayers in the country so we are already doing our bit towards others.
Let’s step back a bit here.
Both these lines of thinking are more flawed than the West’s understanding of the East. One, the idea behind resigning charity to old age is an outdated concept and stands practical for our father’s and grandfather’s generation given the domestic burden they carried. Today, the youth clearly earns more — and spends more too causing an idiotic broke situation for themselves — than their predecessors and can do much more for their society. The problem is in the outlook, not income. Secondly, we aren’t doing anybody a favour by paying our taxes — either directly or indirectly — because we are at the forefront of using the finest of amenities. Maybe it’s high time we started thinking of paying taxes as paying our bills. We make the most of the highways, the airports, the subways, the metros, etc. while they are built brick-by-brick by the same folks we accuse of not paying their taxes.
By all accounts, nothing is absolute. As suggested earlier, we’ll scarcely be sure about the intent of an organization or a needy. Anybody can be a fraud nowadays. However, as a consolation, we’ll have to go by our gut and then forget about the good deed we did. After all, not everybody is capable of helping others. And that in itself is a huge act of helping ourselves feel a little better than usual.
