Charity vs. Work | Empowering people through work.
Author: Caerberu // Category: Professional, Seminars & PresentationsI’m recalling the words from one of my personal heroes, Murlidhar Devidas Amte from India. He established communities for lepers, orphans, and differently-abled individuals. But these communities were not for charity, because in these communities the people each have their own work to do and everyone is given a chance to contribute to society. Charity will only lead to self-pity, but work will lead to a sense of purpose, belongingness, and self-respect. This is what Amte believed.
Although I’m not really against charity, I believe that Amte’s words are just. My stand on charity and the idea that we shouldn’t give the man fish, but teach him how to fish, is that not everyone of us has the capacitty to “teach a man how to fish”, that is, to give him work. Charity is okay, because until that time that we can provide the man work and teach him how to fish, we have to help keep him alive. What’s the point of rambling about “teaching him how to fish” and thus withholding from him a couple of coins when he might not survive tomorrow if everyone of us did that?
Anyway, I felt quite good that despite not being paid yet for the work that we do, we are helping to employ people in our job. That’s one of the things that gives me strength amidst the challenges that come in the business.
