A Nation at the Crossroads

Few of us think of our own responsibility in giving. Generosity is a laudable motive but if not performed constructively, it can easily be destructive. It is interesting, when we would be helpful, in the absence of any thought to expressing our motivation, we can bring about the opposite of what we desire. This is true in most acts of charity but we infrequently take upon ourselves the responsibility of insuring our giving is used constructively. So, out of ignorance or simple laziness, we give of our excess, we give of our substance, and feel we have been a blessing simply because we gave.

We are members of a society that is probably the most generous democracy in the history of the world. We have social programs, second to none, that we support with billions of dollars a year. Our external generosity is no less spectacular as we feed, clothe and house our brothers and sisters around the planet. We call our domestic programs entitlements, and those abroad are identified as foreign aid; while they are neither. It is interesting to note, because of our lack of responsibility to monitor the use and distribution of our generosity, they are largely the products of sentiment, instead of being truly constructive. The distribution of our generosity has grown so large, so unwieldy, that abuse has taken control of our system. Consequently, those of us that support the underlying sentiment in giving are labeled spendthrift liberals, while those of us who want controls on its distribution are labeled uncaring conservatives.

Our nation is now at a crossroads where we have the opportunity to change the way we express our generosity or to simply perpetuate what from neglect, has become our national waste. Accountability is not opposed to generosity; it instead facilitates the process; insuring the benefit to all participants. We do not need to spend more, we need to spend better. We need to take upon ourselves the responsibility that goes hand in hand with financial assistance to be assured our system of giving is truly constructive. In our giving we need to be generous enough to insure we are empowering our brothers and sisters while they are being fed, clothed and housed.  Without accountability, without taking the time and making the effort to insure our generosity is empowering, we are not yet as generous as we need to be.

This is no doubt an incredibly large task but we can begin where we are. We need to resolve to be responsible for the distribution of our generosity, and the rest will come; one step at a time. Some may say, the cost of accountability will take resources from the programs they support but this merely perpetuates the destructive waste of our national wealth. Without accountability, our nation will eventually become destroyed by the very sentiment that made it great.

WE SHOULD NOT DEMAND FROM OUR NATION WHAT WE WOULD NOT DO FOR OURSELVES… Let us change those things within us that we may become more responsible for our own generosity. Then we can come together as one nation, not finding fault with our brothers and sisters, but instead finding value in their viewpoint. In a country as large and diverse as our own, there is room for many opinions. Those who forged our nation did so not in the absence of diversity of ideas, or even ideals, but found the common ground. When the task seems daunting let us remember “you can eat an elephant – one bite at time.”

2 Responses to “A Nation at the Crossroads”

1. Elaine Singer says:

   July 31, 2011 at 5:15 am

   So well put, Harvey. Let’s add the intent behind what is being done. Some have contributed because their employers expected it, some out of a sense of guilt. True giving is done because the individual sharing wants to be of service having seen a need he or she felt could be filled. Mr Cayce repeatedly admonished, however, we only help when it is OUR place to help. We must first look within. Then we help only sufficiently to allow the other to recover, not remove their will to be independent. Beverly Simmons, long time member of Glad Helpers, and recipient of many of Mr Cayce’s readings discussed this with me many times. It was a point on which we were in full accord.

   There is also the degrees of charity Maimonides wrote about in which he felt charity ranged from person to person giving through giving anonymously wherein neither the recipient nor giver knew the one on the other end. While big charities now do that, many have become laden with overhead.

   Again, mahalo.
2. Harvey Green says:

   July 31, 2011 at 8:44 am

   Aloha Elaine.. Thank you for sharing your insight…