There Should Be No Guilt or Shame Attached To Being Charitable

Are we being led astray from our free choice of being charitable and kindness to others that are suffering in the world around us?

There has been a growing trend of distasteful and forceful strategies being played on the hearts and minds of the ordinary public for many years now, a strategic mix of psychological and emotional manipulation to render monies from you to causes and charities that well, seem just to be doing the same thing year after year, with no real outcome.

I mean and I will now say that not all charities are being judged by my own humble opinion here but more to do with the moral issues that are now curdling up from within society.

I am really expressing from a detached view point for what I myself am feeling lately and also from the mumblings of others so I will jump back to timeline 1 and continue in the manner I began.

The Negative Strategy Is Destroying the Real Essence of Charity

We have been bombarded constantly via the mainstream media and other angles too, with what I consider a campaign that is far from allowing you a free choice of being charitable on your own accord or terms, you are simply being manipulated by negative strategies that prey on your fears and guilt’s.

This sickening betrayal and deceptive line of advertisement has got me thinking to what end will they go too, just to get money from you and in the end you really never know of its impact or justified outcome.

It is my humble opinion that this strategy of negative manipulation of people’s emotions has eroded the true essence of the meaning of charity and has also damaged its great intent.

I now am seeing an aggressive type of charity collectors that are pouncing on the public everywhere we go; even when we finally get home I am seeing it being played out in a long and draining commercial that is praying on your emotions and in a very negative way, with guilt, shame, fear and disgust!

This Negative Manipulation Has Filtered Into the Psychology

I now see often the reactions of people changing to charity collectors and more in defiance of this negative intrusion, people are growing sick of it! People are growing weary and agonised by seeing a charity commercial as it plays deeply on your guilt and shaming emotions.

People are now responding to these commercialised charity organisations with negative and thoughts of conspiracy, like they have been showing that advert for years so where is all the money going, why have we not seen some change there etc, etc.

This growing dislike is filtering psychologically onto the streets and into our communities, where we see a homeless person looking for a bit of change now they are being ignored and judged, “ oh he will only buy alcohol with it or drugs” some might say or “ I am sick of giving money to no good causes”.

I really believe ‘Charity’ is being destroyed and cleverly too, it’s a dark assumption but I don’t see that love and hope of charity in the eyes and actions of people anymore, they almost feel it’s another way for these big corporations to make some easy money.

Cynicism is growing strife on the streets and in all honesty who can blame them, the governments of the world are taxing people to death, cameras everywhere and fines for this and fines for that, like gangsters that are ripping off the ordinary people and sucking them dry.

A Sad Example of Charity Being Destroyed!

A dear friend of mine was busy shopping with her mother the other day and when she went to put away her shopping in the car, a man approached and obviously spoke little English as he conversed to her via sign language, gesturing if he could have some food or money for.

Obviously she was a bit daunted by the surprise of it all and gesture to him saying no, but he again gestured back in a way that he would return her trolley, now obviously for the £1.00 coin that it had within it.

Again she gestured to him no and go away, fair enough I thought you were busy and was caught of guard a little, but she didn't feel right!

She began to explain that although he looked pretty clean and she couldn't immediately tell if he was a homeless person but that more importantly, she didn't know what to do?

I said to her what did you feel in your heart that you should have done? She said I should have at least been charitable and let him take the trolley so he could have the £1.00 coin, but she felt guilty because she didn't.

I said you don’t need to feel guilty because charity is giving from the heart without judgment, there is no obligation to do so, it’s more of an act of kindness that has no judgment or negative conditions to it, and it’s simply from your heart.

I thought to myself sometime after and realised that we the ordinary people are becoming very confused what it really means to be charitable. There is a reversal in its real essence and now unfortunately there seems to be a stigma of guilt and shame for not giving, that’s not right I thought and then started to notice more of this negative association playing out in front of my eyes.

It’s not that people are just becoming more selfish or just unkind, but more of a negative programming that has filtered its way into our psychology somehow, that has taken away our right to just do what is in our hearts free from guilt and all negative stigmas, such a shame.

What is Charity Really?

Simply to me, being charitable is an act of kindness that is enacted by you from your own free choice with no thought and no judgment, just an act of love from the heart.

Charity is about giving and not receiving and it can only be an act of charity if you give from the heart where that kind act comes from, a non judgmental affection for the better good.

Charity is kindness and comes from the heart, it is not something that should be forced on anyone but just a gracious act of kindness on behalf of the person, I shall be charitable because it is my choice to do so, because it is something I wish to do from my heart.

What Charity Is Not!

Charity is not a virtue that calls to you through guilt, shame, fear or because someone has made you feel you have too. It is not a reason to manipulate you via negative influence that infringes on your own free will and limit you into giving monies over to another person or organisation.

Example of Charity at Work

I had walked to the shops with my little daughter who is 4 years old and we were about to go into one shop and I had noticed a young lady sitting on the cold floor asking for some change.

I had noticed the familiar pattern evolving in front of my eyes as people avoided eye contact with her, as I came back out of one shop I gave my little girl a £2.00 coin and gestured to her to give that to the lady sitting on the floor over there.

She hesitated a moment and a little confuse but I gave her that loving smile to reassure her that it was OK to do so, she did and the lady was grateful and thanked her, then I took hold of her hand and we crossed the road to go back home.

I had noticed my little girl kept looking back at her, I guess trying to figure out what that was all about and why I had done that, also probably who was that lady too.

I didn’t feel I had to explain because she did not ask and most importantly that an act of kindness is recognised by us all, you don’t need to explain what you just did or seen, you simply sense it.

If you are judgmental you may think that I just wasted £2.00 of my own money and that she is probably going to use it for drugs or alcohol, she might? Then she might not?

But you have just forgotten what being charitable means, that you first do what is in your heart, it’s an act of kindness created from the all wise and loving part of your heart, you gave willingly and without question nor judgment, this is the part of you that is really you. For I never felt guilty or ashamed for doing it, in fact that act of kindness had made me feel good in my heart, made me feel human.

Charity Is Simply an Act of kindness

Charity is simply an act of kindness that we feel in our hearts to do, its this act of kindness that truly makes us human, for we can lend a hand to a fellow human or animal and offer help or assistance without condition nor judgment.

There should be no feelings of guilt, shame nor disgust attached to charity and certainly should not be a cunning motive to manipulate people in handing over money.

If you feel that you do not wish to be charitable then that is your choice, you should not have to feel any negative emotional affliction because of it.

The point I am trying to get to is this, that we should not allow ourselves to be cleverly misdirected or influenced by negative design; you simply wouldn't fall in love with someone that made you feel guilty, shameful and disgusted with yourself would you?

Then you should never hand money over to anybody or an organisation that coerced you into giving by negative means of guilt, shame or disgust. That is why there is a negative stigma to charity and to being charitable; people are forgetting what it is simply to be charitable because if this misuse of the term.

It simply needs to be rectified in my opinion and brought back into its true understanding, Charity is simply that kind act of giving or helping, that is truly from the heart, no judgment nor negative attachment.

To The So Called Charities

If you are a charity collector or a charity that is spending thousands upon thousands of pounds/dollars from the money that charitable people has donated on shameful and ignorant advertisement, that preys on the negative emotions that can account to blackmail really, then I will tell you now, that your organisation has nothing to do with charity one bit!

How dare you spend the money that people have graciously donated on sick twisted manipulating advertisements making people feel guilty, shameful and disgusted because your immoral tactic is to prey on those aspects and gain monies from them?

How dare you call yourselves charities when you have no moral code to even understand the true meaning of the word?

You false Organisations that prey on the psychology of the public but in essence misdirect and falsely use the word charity and in doing so have tried to plague guilt and shame on them, you have brought the essence of charity into a despised depth that is now effecting the works of being charitable as the public are being misguided by your greed and misuse for your riches.

You will never destroy Charity as it is a virtue of being human and I hope this article sheds light on a much needed situation.