The Reading Today
• Daily Theme: The modern distortion of charity, charity-fatigue, and love as a state of the will.
• Source Material: Mere Christianity
• Source Material: Mere Christianity
My Reflection
Today’s passage discusses ‘Charity’, exploring its original meaning versus a Christian definition. The word elicits many different reactions. While some see it as a purely instinctual act of giving, I cannot help but notice that others use it as a way of feeling somewhat superior. I am reminded of J. B. Priestley’s play, An Inspector Calls, where Mrs Birling sits on a charitable board dispensing money to ‘fallen’ women. She uses her power through charity to condemn a young woman to a life of destitution, ultimately ending in the girl taking her own life. Mrs Birling has no regrets, openly admitting that she felt the girl was "not deserving."
When I watch television today, I am continually struck by the relentless barrage of appeals for money: the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, famine, the prevention of female circumcision in Africa, acts of cruelty to animals, drought-ridden countries, abused bears and donkeys—the list is endless. I well remember a press article a few years ago about an elderly woman who felt so desperately sorry for people that she subscribed to so many charities she ended up bankrupt.
I call this "charity-fatigue." The endless "global guilt" heaped upon us by the media leaves one feeling completely powerless. It forces us to choose who we help, because we simply cannot help everyone. I am also deeply irritated by the use of so-called "celebrities" who leverage their status to add weight to these campaigns.
To manage this, I made a personal choice to give to one charity, and only one. I give what I can afford as a monthly donation. I often feel that governments around the world could do so much more, but instead, they use the threat of world conflict as a reason to invest in the machinery of war rather than ending hunger and poverty. In the West, many of these issues do not directly affect our daily lives, and that detachment only compounds the sense of powerlessness.
The proverb "charity begins at home" remains highly relevant; within our own country, there are people in desperate need of support, such as the homeless, not to mention the never-ending stream of requests for medical research into cancer and Alzheimer's. I also think the mega-rich—figures like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk—could do so much more. Perhaps I am unaware of their actual philanthropic work, but spending millions upon millions to send rockets into space while people on Earth die unnecessarily speaks volumes.
Lewis’s definition actually cuts through a lot of this modern noise. He says that charity is not merely "alms" or an emotion; it is a "state of the will." If charity is a deliberate state of the will rather than a fleeting emotional reaction to a television advert, then my decision to quietly and consistently support one single cause is perhaps closer to Lewis's definition of Christian love than bankrupting oneself out of global guilt.
Historical Footnote (9th September)
1960: Studies in Words is published by Cambridge University Press.
Today’s passage discusses ‘Charity’, exploring its original meaning versus a Christian definition. The word elicits many different reactions. While some see it as a purely instinctual act of giving, I cannot help but notice that others use it as a way of feeling somewhat superior. I am reminded of J. B. Priestley’s play, An Inspector Calls, where Mrs Birling sits on a charitable board dispensing money to ‘fallen’ women. She uses her power through charity to condemn a young woman to a life of destitution, ultimately ending in the girl taking her own life. Mrs Birling has no regrets, openly admitting that she felt the girl was "not deserving."
When I watch television today, I am continually struck by the relentless barrage of appeals for money: the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, famine, the prevention of female circumcision in Africa, acts of cruelty to animals, drought-ridden countries, abused bears and donkeys—the list is endless. I well remember a press article a few years ago about an elderly woman who felt so desperately sorry for people that she subscribed to so many charities she ended up bankrupt.
I call this "charity-fatigue." The endless "global guilt" heaped upon us by the media leaves one feeling completely powerless. It forces us to choose who we help, because we simply cannot help everyone. I am also deeply irritated by the use of so-called "celebrities" who leverage their status to add weight to these campaigns.
To manage this, I made a personal choice to give to one charity, and only one. I give what I can afford as a monthly donation. I often feel that governments around the world could do so much more, but instead, they use the threat of world conflict as a reason to invest in the machinery of war rather than ending hunger and poverty. In the West, many of these issues do not directly affect our daily lives, and that detachment only compounds the sense of powerlessness.
The proverb "charity begins at home" remains highly relevant; within our own country, there are people in desperate need of support, such as the homeless, not to mention the never-ending stream of requests for medical research into cancer and Alzheimer's. I also think the mega-rich—figures like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk—could do so much more. Perhaps I am unaware of their actual philanthropic work, but spending millions upon millions to send rockets into space while people on Earth die unnecessarily speaks volumes.
Lewis’s definition actually cuts through a lot of this modern noise. He says that charity is not merely "alms" or an emotion; it is a "state of the will." If charity is a deliberate state of the will rather than a fleeting emotional reaction to a television advert, then my decision to quietly and consistently support one single cause is perhaps closer to Lewis's definition of Christian love than bankrupting oneself out of global guilt.
Historical Footnote (9th September)
1960: Studies in Words is published by Cambridge University Press.
Why This Matters
When we define charity merely as the act of giving money in response to emotional appeals, we inevitably succumb to "charity-fatigue." Redefining it as a steady, deliberate state of the will empowers us to act meaningfully within our own limitations, without being consumed by the paralyzing guilt of trying to save the entire world.
My Action for Today
Today, I will reaffirm my commitment to the single cause I have chosen to support, trusting that a focused, consistent act of the will is far more effective than succumbing to the anxiety of global guilt.
Today, I will reaffirm my commitment to the single cause I have chosen to support, trusting that a focused, consistent act of the will is far more effective than succumbing to the anxiety of global guilt.
Reader Question
How do you cope with 'charity-fatigue' in an age where the media constantly demands our emotional and financial response to endless global crises?
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