Why Give?

Justin SardoContributorJustin Sardo is a junior and the founder of Samo’s on-campus, student-led, charity organization, Pocket Change. Deciding to do charity work is, quite simply, abandoning the “why nots?” — those reasons that you, that we, all give as support for inaction. Everybody wants to make a difference. Few act on that desire.Often, you will hear people asking that you put yourself in the shoes of someone in need — of someone struggling — yet that is not necessarily a realistic demand. For those of us with the opportunity to earn a great education, pursue what we want in life, with a warm, soft bed to sleep in at night and never a thought of hunger or thirst, how can we really understand what it is like to suffer? We can feel guilt, yet where does that get us? If someone less fortunate were to be put in our place, would they not want to treasure and hold fast to all that they would see as luxury — that we take for granted? However, we do have the capacity to give. Realizing that capacity is to realize that we are all important —that we all have something to offer.Just as energy is never created nor lost, the existence of well-being is only shifted. Society today has isolated people through the concept of wealth. Today people fight, slave, sacrifice all else in pursuit of money  — an object; meaningless. Money is not health. It is not friendship, not family, and not happiness. Yet somehow we have gotten the idea that money is the stuff of life. We work hard in school to go to a good college, to get a good job, to make good money, to buy a nice house, to marry a perfect spouse, to raise a perfect family and to retire happy and die happy. But a focus on money can alienate, leading to a trend of selfishness, and can often leave people lonely and unhappy. Money allows individuals to taint the concept that we are all equal. Somehow we have developed the misconception that those who have money are “above” those who do not; that they are more successful. But what is success? Do we judge success by how many dollars we make, or how many people we help — how many lives we change?Rather than focusing on making a bigger, faster society, why not aim to foster one of happiness? Some may respond to the plight of the less fortunate with the thought that there will always be a less fortunate, no matter the circumstances. Yet how are we to find out if we do not make an effort to change this? Now, we are only human and cannot be expected to put all wants and desires behind us. However, it we would not be human to sit idly by as others suffer. We can no longer keep the blinders on, remaining blissfully ignorant of the problems that plague our city, our country, our world. Take that idea you have that you hoped would make you Benjamins and turn it into an idea that will help those in need. Take that time that you would waste and do something to benefit others. Find that piggy bank full of change you have been saving to spend on some unnecessary gadget and donate it. Realize that you do not need objects to be happy, but that your excess can allow for the happiness of another. Forget the American Dream. Here is a new one: do something to help someone. eic@thesamohi.com