Almost anybody who visits a temple at a place like Shirdi, will generously shell out money for the beggars there. But if the same beggar were to approach us at a signal elsewhere, he will get shooed away without a second glance. Is this our definition of being "God-fearing"?
Charity practically never begins at home. And most people who donate like to make it known publicly. Does it negate our generosity if we seek publicity for it? And are we really being generous if our sole intention is to gain publicity by the gesture? What is it that really counts here - the thought, or the act?
Nowadays, there's an emerging trend of adopting kids. People claim they want to make a difference, and yet they won't consider sponsoring their maid's kids' education. They supposedly want to touch a child's life, but they won't hesitate calling out to "chhotu" and placing their lunch orders, asking "chhotu" to run around for office errands, ordering "chhotu" to lift memsab's bags, and so on. How can you justify robbing one child of his childhood when you dream of bestowing it upon anonther?
We click pictures to capture our happy moments. But when a celebrity visits a blind-school or a school for the mentally challenged, claims that he/she was moved to tears, and then poses for pictures smiling from ear-to-ear, what does that convey? Which obnoxious person in their right mind smiles gleefully standing next to a kid with cerebral palsy? Whose brain is really damaged here?
We have animal right activists and socialists fighting tooth and nail against cruelty to animals - endangered, abandoned, or otherwise. Kind as their act is, should we not first cry out against cruelty to those of our own species? Does a limping puppy actually evoke more compassion than a cachexic kid? Or is it just more convenient to look out for a street dog than a street kid?
