GivingSomethingBack

I wish I could repair the world but the truth is I can only work on a little bit of one corner. The question is whether it’s worth me undertaking that small service for so few, when the world at large needs so much for so many?

For me the answer is yes. I justify this for myself by the thought that if everyone does a bit of what they can do, then the results will be hugely beneficial.

I should make it clear, before some of you do, that I realize I am no paragon of virtue, and I don’t do as well as I should with some of the ideas I list here. The reason for writing this article is that sometimes the most obvious things go unwritten or unsaid. At the cost of appearing crass, stupid and patronizing I will, nevertheless try and encourage everyone to open their hearts to help others less fortunate. You never know, someday that could be you receiving rather than giving. You probably are already aware of an immutable law of physics, for every action in the universe there is an equal and opposite reaction. Or as my late father used to tell me, “you get back what you give tenfold!”

What does this mean in a practical sense? We can’t all give large sums of money for the simple reason we don’t all have a lot of money to give. But we do all have a little spare time, and maybe the only act of giving we can manage is to go and see an old and lonely relative. It’s amazing to me that I should have to write this, but so many people don’t give this most simple of gifts, some of their time.

Sometimes the thing we need most is a cold dose of the truth, and this can be a wonderful act of generosity. Recently a good friend of mine told me some home truths about what I was doing career wise. He was right, I had become a bit stuck in my ways, aiming in a direction I knew in my heart was wrong, but he had the guts and cared enough to tell me to follow another path. This reinforced what my family had already been saying to me, but it took someone a little more objective to force me to act. This was a very generous action on his part, enhanced by his recommending I seek to channel the output to a company he had found. None of us know how this might evolve, but it has opened my eyes to an entirely new opportunity. I trust I will disprove that hoary old chestnut that no good turn goes unpunished because I genuinely couldn’t appreciate his kindness more. So, David Courtney please step forward, take a bow and thank you.

Let’s all remember that the person with his hand out usually has a back story that would make you weep if you took the time to stop and listen. They’re not all scroungers and wasters; in fact most of the people asking for help do so because they need it.

We’re all having a harder time of it economically at present, after a period of huge wealth creation. We’re feeling the pinch of the credit crunch. Imagine how much more the really poor are feeling the cold draft of this impending recession and try and give something, even if it’s just a kind word, a bit of your time, an hour or two of your expertise. It’s going to count more now than ever. Of course, if you have a little cash that would be great.

There are going to be real problems this winter if we don’t all start pulling together now.

I haven’t gone soft in the head, and didn’t suddenly find a dogmatic religious belief, but we all must be made aware that this economic downturn is going to really hurt a huge number of people across our western society and we need to find ways to make this inevitable financial crash as painless as we can, because that will benefit everyone.

Our governments must move to the forefront of this battle by putting in place immediate and workable methods to keep people in their homes during the coming pandemic of houses going into negative equity and being untenable for the otherwise new homeless. There are already entire sections of cities in the USA that have been repossessed by shortsighted mortgage lenders. Are we going to allow this economic cancer to infect us all, do we want the cities to become either empty or the playground of the get rich quick speculators who are bound to take advantage of the misery of others?

Most of us are generous come Xmas or at a birthday; we all enjoy the giving and the pleasure it generates. Let’s try and make every day a holiday for ourselves and those we help. Meanwhile, in my totally inadequate way I shall do what I can to repair my tiny corner of this world we all share.