Thursday, November 09, 2006

This guy from the charity Shelter came up to me today. He obviously wanted me to give money. Now, he was very very convincing, and seemed like a very nice guy. The right mix between charming and persuasive. He told me three million people in the UK are living in either below standard housing or on the streets, and that one million of them are children. It makes me feel very guilty, the fact that I can't make a long term committment to donating money - I suppose I could this year but what happens next year? I don't know if I'll be struggling to find a job or strugling financially to get through a masters. Either way, after being guilt-tripped for a good ten minutes, I managed to say I'm unable to committ to putting up a direct debit but that I'll look into the charity.

I know I shouldn't feel guilty - I do do good things. I am volunteering for a local school, working with children with 'limited abilities'. Instead of throwing things and clothes I don't want away, I give them to charity. I know I don't do much, but I do do more than most people. And although it's not a competition, I'm just trying to calm my guilty conscience. If I could I would do more.

I should just use the excuse that I don't have an English bank account so can't set up a direct debit, would be so much easier to walk away... ;)


xx

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think I am of the opinion that you shouldn't be guilted into these things. Chairty should exist because people want to do, not because they've got someone to sell it to you.

I really hate people selling charity to me, particularly when socialising. Maybe i'm harsh, but I don't think charity should work on the basis of it being the thing to do. It should be the thing that people want to do.

I am thinking particularly of people who come round to pester when you are at a bowling alley or a pub. The pub particularly annoys me, because they are "taking advantage of the alcohol". You could argue thats a good thing, but I think its kind of sad that you have to wait for the alcohol induced generosity

Anonymous said...

The other one which annoys me just came to mind.. Sainsburys in Lancaster usually has chairty bag packers at weekends.

Its charities but also places like boy scouts, football teams etc. The thing is, you oculd give a hunderd pounds a second to a worthwhile chairty, but you still look like a stingy person if you don't give.

And sometimes I dont want to. Maybe I should just be less of a wuss.