Charity is an oft-quoted but a rarely practised virtue. Modem life leaves us with little scope to comprehend anything beyond the narrow scope of our vested interests. We forget that true happiness is beyond the consumerist definitions of owning and possessing. It is the spiritual consciousness of defining every moment of one’s life with love, grace and gratitude. Charity is a manifestation of this love.
Because the values of life are true across borders—political, geographical or any other, and because it is eternal, we can track the quality of charity to almost the beginning of civilisation. Thus, we have the earliest Indian epics glorifying this virtue. Both Lord Rama and Kama epitomise the value of selfless charity. One can hardly exaggerate the necessity of charity in today’s world.
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It is useless to indulge in a blame game and accuse the present generation of aggravating the condition of the hungry, naked wretches that live in shanties sandwiched between multiplexes and shopping malls. Every citizen, irrespective of generation or gender divide, has the moral responsibility to ensure that those who have should be charitable enough to ensure that the have-nots at least can live like men.
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Did God make man in his own image for a day when he would turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the sufferings of his fellow beings?
The humble, they say, lead by examples that may not be worth a million dollars but can bring about a few smiles. A bit of food for the hungry around us, a bit of help for the kids around us who can’t afford a school can make a very big difference. Big things have, after all, small beginnings.