A quiet day in Caversham, and noticing the charity shops.
Perhaps surprisingly, charity is not a straightforward thing to think about.
The typical high street charity shop might well be somewhere you think of as a good place to find or donate second-hand clothes, books and so on. And that’s all fine, is how I use them and, indeed, can be a very sensible way to the planet.
But there’s more to charity than buying and selling in charity shops. People might find themselves in need of support for all sorts of reasons, and the people providing the support might well be funded by a charity. A quick review of the last few years and things that have cropped up in my own life, the lives of friends and the lives of family members tells me that this support might apply to all sorts of things covering all sorts of aspects of life.
The upshot is that charities help a lot of people, and charity shops are the obvious presence of only a small percentage of them.
As I walked home, my knee jerkily reacted. Charity shouldn’t be necessary in a rich country such as the UK, should it? I mean, what are we, the fifth or sixth richest country in the world or something. Can’t everyone get help and support without relying on the kindness of others?
And then reason kicked in. When I was back in front of my computer I started looking at how you define income (and poverty). And for that matter, how do you assess the UK’s wealth. Total wealth? Gross Domestic Product? And wham, off you go into down a complicated path of options, opinions, measurements and what-have-you.
But whatever else all that research might lead to, what became screamingly obvious is that any notion of equating charity with income is neither sensible nor true.
For starters let’s be realistic: however wealthy a country might be, it is simply unrealistic to expect the state to foot the bill for everything.
At the end of the day, all I could conclude with any worthwhile amount of certainty is that if you can support a charity (whether or not they have a high street shop) then do so. Every little bit of support does count. Leave aside any moral stance – or any other argument about it all. Do so for no other reason than the fact that you or someone you know might one day need help and support from a person or people. And that support might well only be possible because they, in turn, are supported by a charity.
Pick your charity or, indeed, charities … and just do it. Provide support in your will, by leaving a legacy, by giving your time and effort, by giving a donation or donations. Whatever best suits you, provide some support. If you like, be selfish! After all, as they say, what goes around comes around.
