Why Don't You Do Something Charitable?
An old acquaintance asked me this when I told her about Chaos & the strays I care for.
Charitable? Do I save more cats, be more vocal, work with SPCA more actively? No. What she meant is - why don't I put my time and money to something more noble like saving a tsunami victim or a one-legged orphan.
First, I don't believe one charity or cause is more noble than another. To be charitable is to be generous and helpful towards the needy and the suffering. It is extending one's goodwill towards humanity. A charitable act is noble as long as one genuinely wants to make a difference to the lives we help. Besides, I like to think volunteers volunteer because we believe we can make some difference to the lives we touch & not because we want to be recognised for our efforts, to praised or awarded.
I told her frankly, I don't give a rat's ass that people like her think I am a crazy just because I happen to choose a cause not many will adopt. I am very happy and passionate about the cats I care for which is a lot more than I can say for other people & their charities.
Charitable? Do I save more cats, be more vocal, work with SPCA more actively? No. What she meant is - why don't I put my time and money to something more noble like saving a tsunami victim or a one-legged orphan.
First, I don't believe one charity or cause is more noble than another. To be charitable is to be generous and helpful towards the needy and the suffering. It is extending one's goodwill towards humanity. A charitable act is noble as long as one genuinely wants to make a difference to the lives we help. Besides, I like to think volunteers volunteer because we believe we can make some difference to the lives we touch & not because we want to be recognised for our efforts, to praised or awarded.
I told her frankly, I don't give a rat's ass that people like her think I am a crazy just because I happen to choose a cause not many will adopt. I am very happy and passionate about the cats I care for which is a lot more than I can say for other people & their charities.
posted by Cat at 4:33 PM
6 Comments:
I think if we can think of what we do for the cats as a means of developing less "self" and more for others, then it doesn't matter if our volunteer "work" involves cats or any other beings. A progress in this volunteer work with cats will be the development of equanimity with the ability to see that all other beings are just like the cats that we have chosen to care. One can see some "advanced" human beings in the forms of adopters who ask to adopt the most "unadoptable" cats or cats with disabilities. A "pre-school" human is one who thinks that "as long as my house cats are not in danger, I don't care what happen to downstairs cats."
I heard a radio program today where they were debating the issue of how much money is too much to spend on an animal as if the money spent on an animal takes away funds from a human in need.
I believe in the Abundance theory of life. There is enough to go around. Caring for animals does not take anything away from people in need. If everyone in the world gives, then we would all have enough. The problem is governments,corporations and greedy individuals who take and exploit instead of giving.
goodness, and i thought those - ok, some - who went all out to help those poor tsunami victims are no less attention seekers that make sure the world's media are aiming their camera/microphones at them and then shout "HEY LOOK AT ME! SEE HOW CHARITABLE AND KIND I AM! SEE WHAT NOBLE WORK I'VE DONE!! YES, INDEED I CAN'T WAIT TO GO TO HEAVEN AND CLAIM THAT COVETED HALO AND THAT PAIR OF WINGS!!!.. OH HOW NICE IF I'M CANONISED TOO, YOU KNOW HAVING THE ST. AFFIXED INFRONT OF MY NAME??"
but of course there are those who go about "helping" cats just to attract the opposite sex attention.
Oh Letter B you make me laugh. That's really funny.
"Helping" cats doesn't attract the opposite sex attention, especially if you're a woman. It actually repels the opposite sex. Remember my crazy cat lady stories? :)
Cat, you know specifically *what* [not that obvious, right?] i was actually refering to lah.. :p
super happy to know that i made your day :) [whoa nelly, my head's getting bigger now] jokes aside, i forgot to add that some people think that the involvement - sorry, DONATION - of some $$$ makes helping humans a more nobler cause than cats. 'cos it's more upfront ["OH BLESS YOU CHILD!"], see? whereas helping cats ["WHY HELP ANIMAL? ONLY ANIMAL WHAT! CHAY!"], nobody can actually see the actual transaction or handling of money. but of course there are those who think by helping animals, they can attain nirvana right away.
why do you think then that some sillipoLeans donate their life savings to the President's ChaLity or even the NKF?
If one waits for every human being to be helped, the waiting for never ends.
However it is still wise to use $ "wisely", whether for human or animals.
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