Escaping Enlightenment

Today is Blog Action Day 2008 and the topic is Poverty.  Growing up, my family was not very well off.  My mother told me about my having to sleep in a dresser drawer as a baby because she could not afford a real crib.  Years later, my earliest money-related memory is that of my mother and step-father sitting at the dining room table.  My father pulled a $20.00 bill from a bank envelope and layed it on the table.  He said, with an mixture of resentment, shame, and stubborn determination “That’s all that we have left”.  I don’t remember the circumstances of that moment, but I do remember that I didn’t understand what had just happened.  Neither one ever made my worry about their financial difficulties, neither of them ever even told me they were having problems.

My parents were not people to accepted charity.  If a charity offered assistance, my parents would always offer up something (usually the kids) in exchange for the goods and services provided.  If a charity gave them food, we all worked a kitchen.  If someone gave us building materials (lumber, etc.), we helped build a house that weekend.

I’ve noticed that there seems to be a trend leaning towards elimination of poverty by donating.  While, in theory, this is a fantastic idea this leads one to begin to expect assistance.  “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” rings so true.

While I will support all charitable organizations when I am able to, there is one organization that I support wholeheartedly and have regularly volunteered my time: Habitat for Humanity.  I support them because they are not a charity who simply gives things to people who would not help themselves.  This group requires that you become an active participant in your restoration.  Habitat for Humanity uses volunteers and donations to build houses for people who could not otherwise afford housing.  The catch is that the ones who qualify to own these houses must also help build their house.  This organization is a perfect example of helping someone out.

While I agree there are some who simply cannot provide for themselves, there are too many who utilize a charitible system to fund their own laziness.  Seeing those who game the system enrages most people who put in to that system for hopes that they can improve the world.  While I agree with the idea of “sharing the wealth”; I also believe that helping someone is teaching them to fish.