Enlightened charity

Charity in Ethiopia has historically meant alms giving. This is not only a personal act of goodwill but is also mandated by the major religions.
Mendicants do not frequent the environs of churches, monasteries, mosques and other places of worship by accident. A country that finds it hard going to keep even its employed population afloat in the best of times, cannot hope to have the luxury of a social welfare system. The results have been a pervasive and deeply engrained culture of begging. Although the custom of sharing is an Ethiopian trait, the destitute glean meagre pickings from a long day’s begging. The majority of alms givers do just that – give alms. What are alms but an assurance of life long continued beggary for the receiver and for the giver, sad excuses for not offering a compatriot substantial assistance.
How can we justify throwing five cents or even saying “zirzir yelegnim” to the skeletal woman with two haggard kids… as we park a million birr vehicle to go and sip 110 birr a shot whiskey? The natural obligation we have is to help our fellow citizens and participate in charity that is more than just an exercise fueled by guilt or even by the peer pressure of telethons.
Bringing fellow citizens out of poverty is the noblest task one can do for their country. Even at an individual level it does not require a bank account busting sum to lead one other individual out of the quagmire of destitution. Humanity is endowed with deep instinctive emotions that have enabled it to master the earth- or as scientists put it more crudely, to be on top of the food chain.
These emotions, more profound than those of any other animal, have ensured humanity’s survival as the most powerful being of the past forty thousand years. Sadly, human emotions are only available as a package and include dark vibrations such as hate, anger and greed. On the bright side these emotions have always been eclipsed by the positive vibrations of love, patience and more pertinently today, selflessness.
At present in Ethiopia there is a vibrant private sector driven boom in charity work at all levels. It is comforting to observe that selflessness is alive and well despite the propagation of a me, myself and I culture as mark of sophistication.
At this junction it is incumbent upon us to notify specially unsuspecting students (particularly at AAU where the movement originated in the late 80s) not to fall prey to pseudo philosopher Ayn Rand and her antisocial theory of rational selfishness. Contrary to the dehumanizing ideas of this emotionally depleted writer altruism – selfless concern for others, is the very essence and purpose of life. There is nothing rational about an irrational sentiment such as selfishness.
The mark of a socially mature society is when its members consider the plight of others as a blight on the whole. Let us give without reserve, meaningful and life changing assistance. The more stingy we are the more we prolong national under-development. We must start to regard each needy individual as a potential economic contributor. It is within our power to alleviate at least the stigma of poverty by showing the poor a measure of respect. ‘Egzabehair Yistelegn’ just won’t cut it. The destitute know already that God does provide. He gave it to you and I to share with them. Spreading the wealth and enabling others to be self-sufficient is not a foolish idea but the best thing we can do as a country that must stop soliciting aid. The more we give, the more likely it is that someday we may truly call poverty history.