I have met people talking about charity as if they just picked up tennis. It seems for them just another topic to brag about, as they walk around the office showing their Instagram photos to every one who cared to listen. What charity!
Pretentious ‘charity’ in the age of Instagram
If you cared enough to do good, you won’t need external rewards – validation, cheers from colleagues, likes and subscribes. It is not so long ago that we used to do good without cameras. Now, everyone has a camera in the form of a smartphone, and it is feeding frenzy for pretentious people snapping up a good picture of themselves in focus, with the beneficiaries of charity behind them. This is charity under false pretenses, not true altruism.
Imagine how they feel
Imagine yourself a beneficiary of charity. The circumstances must have stacked against you so heavily that you would need to receive such charity. Life would have seemed dark and hopeless, even though there is still some good people in the world helping you. You’re probably miserable, hungry a lot of the time, and suffer low esteem. Would you like to have a photo taken of your helplessness, so that these ‘nice’ people can start a conversation at the office pantry?
If you choose to do good, do good quietly.
Do not publish ‘trophies’ to the internet. A personal picture stored in your phone, for your own eyes only, is acceptable and decent. If the thought of doing charity without paper traces, without visual proof, without tax deductions, bothered someone, then they are not in the right frame of mind. These cannot be considered good people.
Charity is not a new sport or a small puppy to be flaunted about. Let’s keep charity what it is – a chance to do good without expecting any sort of rewards. Do good without cameras. Do good quietly.
