Giving

"Its Better to give than not to"

I think there is a fallacy to this statement. I think that it is important to not be selfish, it is important to realize that you are not an individual in this world but rather a community member, but I think it can potentially be harmful to just give... I personally feel it is important to give with analysis. This is something I thought a lot about over Christmas (the time of giving..otherwise known as commercialism) but it came up for me recently because of Haiti.

To give with analysis is of utmost importance, especially if you are giving in a community that is not your own. I think my worry is that one can deny culpability when they "give". People can deny a communal responsibility to make this world a better place, by saying they are already participating in the process by giving, when in reality they are replicating systems of oppression.

The example that occurred to me during Christmas was related to US churches in foreign countries: Say there is a church in a small village that many Americans donate to because they support the missionary work being done, be it building homes, cleaning water, or providing other essentials. Over the years the church has not only the ability to forever alter the community/culture, but to insert itself as a powerful influence in community decisions. Rendering the community disempowered. Trying to make decisions that are best for the community but also simultaneously do not make the church "mad".

The example that comes to mind now, is Haiti. The fear I have for Haiti is that a truly revolutionary country, will once again be colonized through the increased giving of the West. The US and the west will gain more of a foothold in Haitian politics and policies. We have already begun to militarize the country. The American Cross has food and other resources it is keeping in areas that are less destroyed for fear of entering the "dangerous" parts. These are just entirely problematic to me. Had all the money donated to Haite gone to more progressive and revolutionary groups the recovery from this horrible earthquake would not have negative ramifications for decades to come.

Which brings me to service giving in general. I have issues with service giving that I have yet to be able to sort out. I am not referring to that of natural disaster giving as is the case with Haiti, but more along the lines of other service giving such as clothes, building things, water etc. I have a problem with the fact that they do very little skills building or leadership development. The other issue I have is that it replicates and maintains an existing power structure-- inherently there are those 'giving' and 'receiving'. In reality I think all service, should be recognized as part of a collective struggle to better our society and lives. We are not disconnected from one another but we have a philosophy especially in this country that successfully convinces us that we are.

Some thoughts, even after writing about it, I don't know how I feel. It is important to give, and feel compassion and act on that in a way that is selfless, but at the same time, we have to strive for a more analytical and aware way to give.