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OUR ENGLISH COLUMN Charity “ G iv e.” “ G ive t o h e lp th o s e in n e e d .” “ P le a se , c a re .” W e re a d t h e s i g n s ; w e lis te n to t h e a d v e r tis e m e n ts ; w e do re s p o n d . Is i t b e c a u s e w e follow C h r is t's te a c h in g : “ G ive to h im t h a t a s k e th th e e , a n d f r o m h im t h a t w o u ld b o rro w o f t h e e t u r n th o u n o t a w a y ” ? Is i t b e c a u s e w e a r e e s s e n tia lly good, a n d lik e to b e liev e w ith R o u s s e a u t h a t m a n h a s a n in n a te m o ra l sen se , a n d love o f h u m a n ity is h is c a rd in a l v i r t u e ? Is i t b e c a u s e w e w a n t to in s u r e o u rs e lv e s f o r t h e f u t u r e t h a t w e do u n to o th e r s , a s w e w o u ld lik e t h e m to do u n to u s ? In o u r m a te r ia lis tic a g e t h e c o m fo rts a n d co n v e n ie n ce o f life h a v e beco m e u ltim a te v a l u e s ; w e a r e e a s ily m a d e co n sc io u s o f p h y s ic a l w a n t a n d p o v e r ty w h e r e v e r i t e x is ts . A n d , i f w e c o n s id e r o u rse lv e s in a b e t t e r p o si tio n , w e lik e to do o u r s h a r e in h e lp in g to a n n ih ila te h u m a n s u f fe rin g . P a ra d o x ic a lly , a s i t m a y seem , i t is so m e tim e s o u r e g o tis m t h a t m a k e s u s h u m a n ita r ia n . I t is t h e love o f o u rse lv e s, r a t h e r t h a n t h e love o f m a n k in d , w h ic h is t h e d riv in g fo rc e o f o u r a t t e m p t to do good. W h a te v e r w e g iv e, t h e fe e lin g o f m o ra l s u p e r io r ity r e m a in s w ith u s. O u r e s te e m o f o u rse lv e s, o u r fe e lin g o f se lf- s a tis f a c tio n is m o re g r a ti f y i n g t h a n t h e g r e a t e s t p h y s ic a l r e w a rd . F o r slow ly, so slo w ly w e le a r n to b e s te w a rd s o f t h e t r u s t H e re p o s e s in u s. D o in g , w ith h u m b le g r a ti t u d e o f t h e o p p o rtu n ity , th o s e fe w th i n g s t h a t com e to o u r a tte n tio n , a n d t h e n f o r g e t t i n g th e m , a s w e w o u ld a n y t a s k o f t h e d ay . L e a r n in g — “ L e t n o t t h y l e f t h a n d k n o w w h a t t h y r i g h t h a n d d o e th .” T h ro u g h t h e t r a d i t i o n o f C h r is tia n e th ic s a s w ell a s th r o u g h t h e s e c u la r t r a d i t i o n o f h u m a n ita r ia n is m w e h a v e b ee n co n d itio n ed to r e g a r d d o in g o f good a s t h e p ro p e r b e h a v io r. O u r d is p la y o f c h a r i t y in p u b lic p u ts u s in to one class w ith t h e g r e a t lo v e rs o f m a n k in d . H o w e v er, w e h a v e b ee n also c o n d itio n e d to e s te e m m o d e sty . T h u s w e h a v e o u r r e w a r d ev en i f w e co n su m e o u r s a tis f a c tio n s e c re tly in a h e a r t fu ll o f s e lf- a d m ira tio n a n d s e lf-c o n te n tm e n t. W e g e t u p f r o m o u r s e a t in t h e b u s s to m a k e ro o m f o r a n e ld e rly lad y , w e g iv e m o n e y to a p o o r b e g g a r, w e se n d a p a c k a g e to t h e n e e d y o v e rs e a s — a n d o u r p e rs o n a l s a tis f a c tio n is o fte n q u ite o u t o f p ro p o r tio n to t h e v a lu e o f t h e deed a s su c h . In o u r zeal f o r h u m a n ita r is m , in o u r p re o c c u p a tio n w ith t h e p ro c e s s o f g iv in g , w e o fte n lose s i g h t o f t h e b e n e fic ia ry . I once k n e w a y o u n g m a n w h o w a s in ju r e d b y a m in e ex p lo sio n d u r in g t h e w a r, a n d lo s t h is e y e s i g h t a s a co n seq u en ce. H is f r ie n d s a n d n e ig h b o rs sh o w e re d h im w ith t h e i r a tte n tio n , t h e i r h e a r t s o v e rflo w in g w ith p ity . T h e y b r o u g h t h im g i f t s a n d co n d olen ces ; a n d t h e y w e p t b i t te r l y o v er h is f a te . T h e y a s s u r e d h im h o w s o r r y t h e y f e lt f o r h im , h o w t r a g i c a n d p itif u l h is s t a t e , h o w u n c e r ta in h is f u t u r e . H e d id n o t see m to b e p a r tic u la r ly g r a te f u l. H is a t t i t u d e to w a r d s v is ito r s w a s cold, e v e n h o s tile . H e a c c e p te d g i f t s w ith o u t t a k i n g a n y i n t e r e s t in t h e m ; a n d h e a c c e p te d h is v i s ito r s a s i f h e h a d to t o le r a te th e m a g a in s t h is w ill. I w a s s ix te e n a n d s h y a n d i n e x p e rie n c e d , a n d th o u g h m o v ed v e r y d eep ly b y t h i s fa c e e n c o u n t e r w ith h u m a n t r a g e d y , I w a s u n a b le to e x p r e s s a n y o f t h i s fe e lin g in sim p le w o rd s. T h is lack o f o u tw a r d e m o tio n a lity on m y p a r t m ig h t h a v e b ee n i n te r p r e te d a s a s ig n o f in d iffe re n c e , y e t I w a s o v e rw h e lm e d b y t h e se n se o f m y ow n h e lp le s s n e s s w h e n c o n fro n te d b y h is a c u te s u f f e r in g . M y re s e rv e , a s w ell a s m y in e x p e rie n c e , p ro v e d to b e o f p o s itiv e v alu e. I t r i e d to ig n o re h is b lin d n e ss, a n d in so d o in g su c ceeded in m a k in g h im f o r g e t i t f o r a w h ile also. I t to o k a couple o f y e a rs o f w eek ly v is its to b r e a k th r o u g h h is re s e rv e , to re v iv e h is i n te r e s t, to g a in h is t r u s t . B u t h e t a u g h t m e a n i m p o r ta n t le s s o n : p eople w a n t u n d e r s ta n d in g , n o t p ity . T h e y w a n t t o b e t r e a t e d lik e eq u a ls, a n d t h e y w a n t to f o r g e t t h e i r d e fic ien ce s. T h e y w a n t to b e — a s f a r a s i t is p o s s ible — in d e p e n d e n t a n d s e lf- s u f fic ie n t. T o lead a b lin d m a n w e m u s t o ff e r h im o u r a r m a n d n o t g r a b h is. I f w e g iv e f o r s e lf - g r a tif ic a tio n , a n d lose s i g h t o f t h e b e n e f ic ia ry , h o w do w e k n o w t h a t o u r b e n e fits a r e w a n te d ? In t h e ca se o f t h e b lin d m a n , t h e p i t y o f h is g o o d -m e a n in g fr ie n d s p re v e n te d h is p ro p e r a d ju s tm e n t. In ca se o f u n w ise c h a r i t y on a la rg e scale a class o f p e r p e tu a l social d e p e n d e n ts m a y b e c r e a te d . B e n e f its to fo r e ig n n a tio n s m u s t b e ch o se n b y t h e b e n e fic ia rie s th e m selv es, o th e rw is e t h e y m a y c r e a te m is u n d e r s ta n d in g a n d t e n sio n on i n te r n a tio n a l level. M a r ty O U R LIFE E d ited b y E d ito r ia l B oard P u b lish ed b y th e U k rain ian N a tio n a l W om en’s L ea g u e o f A m erica, Inc. 909 N . F ra n k lin S t. P h ila d elp h ia 23, P a . P h o n e M A 7-7945
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