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Charity – It Begins At Home But Does It Have To End There?

Charity begins at home? If the recent tragic and incomprehensible events at the Boston Marathon are anything to go by that quote is far from true as we witnessed people from different backgrounds stand together as one… inspiring. Representing a charity however, is a very individual choice and the majority if not all of you will have chosen one for personal reasons or perhaps the heart strings have been pulled by images of a poorly child and adults without shelter during the coldest months of the year. The term ‘charity case’ offends me and many will not support or donate because they see it as a form of begging; tell that to countless parents who are trying desperately to save their child.

The point is that we have to do something. Raising money that can potentially save or enhance someone’s life is an act of kindness; imagine how hard it must be for parents to feel helpless and end up with no choice but to ask for the help of complete strangers? The human spirit takes on its truest form and is universal as there are no religious or cultural barriers to be broken; it isn’t a fight to win or beat an opponent it’s an opportunity to give someone a chance and through this act alone those strangers become friends.

You see we all deserve a chance for a better, healthier and fulfilled life. Most believe that and a life certainly wouldn’t be worth living if we don’t take a chance or two. No challenge is too big or small and I use the word challenge because with all the best will in the world there is this overwhelming feeling of stepping out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself to the limit. Climbing the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro in uncertain and changeable weather, walking from one end of a country to the other knowing that blisters and debilitating cramp will be your only companions for thousands of miles!

So you’ve got a bucket list and by ticking each achievement off with a big fat marker pen you also give back… double whammy! Each day we hear news of the rise in petrol prices, inflation and astronomical bills yet no one has seen fit talk about the rise in recent years of the ‘ego’… I this, I that, I want, I need blah blah blah! But recently there has been a definite shift in people’s thought patterns and a deep unwavering feeling that they may have got the ‘I’ confused.

The time has now come for those constant altruistic diamonds to be recognised as shining hero’s and time for those who have the capacity to give unselfishly to start. The only thing to come out of this forgotten way of thinking is good, how could this ever be bad?

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