why dont we all give more?

[Nimbostratus100]

We are all aware that there is so much need in the world, and here in the UK we all have so much, yes, really, all of us, unless you are on the street or literally unable to eat today ( unlikely in UK) then we all do. I am in massive debt, very unwell and possibly losing my job. Yet I know I am so well off compared to many

There are children dying for lack of clean water this morning, while I enjoy unnecessary peanut butter and nice coffee.

I donate to charity - when I feel I can, not so much right now, and volunteer a lot, many thousands of hours over the years, again, not so much right now as I am stuck in bed, but I feel like a good person. I pray for those less fortunate, and raise awareness, etc

But I am aware I am living a privileged life while others die for lack of basic needs, water, antibiotics, food, shelter, and yet I am not particularly disturbed - why am I not disturbed? Is it out of sight out of mind, or some sort of genetic self favouring instinct - "I'm all right jack!" Or is it social acceptance, I need three coats, the cagule doesnt go with my work clothes, etc?

I could have put the money for this peanut butter and coffee into the DEC collection, but I didn't

Its not just me, its all of us, any one of you reading this has at very minimum access to a phone you are putting ahead of the needs of a child that will go blind today due to lack of antibiotics

Whats wrong with us? I know one person could make very little difference, but surely the only reason the world is so unfair is because we all, as individuals are behaving so selfishly.

Anyone else confused by this? Feeling like a good person, but knowing objectively I am living selfishly?

But the likes of Murdoch and Musk...nah. if they have it's peanuts. It would be like me donating a penny. Greed has taken over.
Exactly. Amazon is doing away with its smile initiative because it hadn’t “grown they way they foresaw” meaning they hadn’t bothered marketing the scheme properly, and weren’t getting the accolades they wanted from it. Fuck the tiny charities that benefited from it. Scumbags, it was the only redeeming thing about Amazon.

I disagree; whatever mess we make in another part of the world lands on our doorstep eventually. Climate change, refugees, poor sanitation leading to new viruses, it’ll all end up here at some point.

But realistically, so far, none of those things have proven to affect our children negatively more than us saving our pennies to actually directly give them a leg up in life would help them.

It's not that people don't care it's that many of us refuse to carry the world's problems on our shoulders. I donate to charity each month but I could also donate 100% of my salary to good causes, and no-one would be there to catch me if I was in catastrophic debt or homeless.

I actually believe a lot of people do give generously, I work for one of the charities involved in raising funds for the victims of the Earthquake and have been so encouraged at the level of support received; I am also involved in a local charity helping rough sleepers and we are incredibly generously supported. Of course many of us could, in theory, 'give more', but surely a balance is needed?

Why should we give more? I donate some. I pay taxes. The fact that the government (in a democratic country) mismanages money so badly is not my problem. The extreme amount of waste, inefficiencies and corruption has created so these issues. It's not down to us to solve them.

One reason is mistrust. I'm genuinely sorry for good people trapped in shit circumstances – people who've been traumatized, sexually abused, had mental breakdowns, got into hopeless debt, etc. But, for every good person in genuine need, there are horrible, ignorant, anti-social people, who make their neighbors' lives a misery, who have children so they can claim benefits and a house, who raise those children badly, and so on. It's a major problem: how do you help the good people in need without the worthlesss people taking advantage?

Also, I'm suspicious about where my money ends up, especially when it is sent abroad. If I donate to help street children in Mumbai, for example, how much of it actually goes to those kids? And how much ends up in the bank accounts of corrupt officials?

Another reason is that the money isn't spent wisely. There is a cure for poverty. It's also the key to female emancipation. It has been tried all over the world, and it always works. It's called birth control. If the Left really wanted to reduce misery and poverty (not to mention climate change), they'd make family planning clinics their priority. Women in Africa have five kids, on average. In fact, the African birth rate is so high the African population is going to double by 2050. If African women had one or two kids, as in Europe, Africa would be transformed within a generation. Women would have the time and money to educate themselves and their children. They'd also be in better health, and in a better position to assert themselves.

I donate some, but I also enjoy luxuries because I work hard and don’t see why I can’t enjoy the money I am lucky enough to make.

I agree

At least the person who packed the peanut butter is kept in a job and able to feed their kids tonight.

Most possibly but it is my job to protect them from danger and i am more than happy to do so. Like i said its an anxiety around not having enough money no matter what my bank account says.

Sounds like an excuse to me but ok..

How do you intend to protect them from danger when they’re independent adults and you’re an old lady by the way? Curious

Why is it that every time there is talk of billionaires Musk and a bunch of other American tech entrepreneurs are mentioned? At least they have invented something.

Why about this country? What about the vesteys and the Cadogans for example? What about those aristocrats with billions built upon slave trade? But then MN has such a reverence for OLD MONEY.

I mean its an excuse in as much as i am interested in mine and my own yes. If i become an old lady that would be weird.

Would help if some of the mega rich and their companies and corporations paid their fair share of tax. I know tax minimization is legal but it still doesn’t sit right with me.

I’m no tax expert but I do wonder if some of the donations the wealthy
make are just another tax dodge,

But to the exclusion of everyone else, not realising a few material things and a house deposit won’t do much for your kids if the world they live in is a poverty ridden shit hole. I see my
interest in the world as investing in a good society for my DD to live in.

In terms of helping the world’s poor, we may or may not donate individually but the real travesty is the recent cut to the aid budget which is what the UK government invests in poorer countries on our behalf. We were giving 0.7% of GDP which was a UN agreed level for all countries to give, but this government cut it to 0.5% supposedly because we could not afford it, shameful decision.

People who object to foreign aid are a bit thick and don’t understand the concept of soft power and secondary benefits. They think it’s just a case of us ‘handing money to other people when we can barely afford to eat’, not realising we can barely afford to eat because of the issues around the world that the money will help to solve. No cure for stupid though and most of them are racist anyway.

because today, as always, the charities I am aware of ,have more food than they can give away - I never said that there was no one cutting down on meals, that is not in the same league, at all, I have regularly cut out meals to support my children at different times of life, thats not what I was saying. I said no one in the UK has to go without eating today because of lack of food, and that is true, there are so many places you can get food, and many places will be throwing away unwanted food tonight, there is no lack of food in the UK, there just isnt. There is lack of shelter, yes, and lacks in other areas, but please dont pretend privations that we just dont suffer from.

More than enough money is given, but it is being spent recklessly. That applies to home and overseas. Enough money is collected in taxes to “look after” the population, but the government is not spending it wisely. The NHS is a classic example of this. It’s not underfunded. The funds are misappropriated.

My mother, now snowy 70, went to an all-girls convent school in the 60s. The nuns told them about other nuns from the order who were working as missionaries in Africa. The girls were told about starving children, people with no access to clean water, people dying of malaria and dysentery. The girls held cake sales, did sponsored walks, and other things to raise money. And they weren’t the only ones. Since then we have had things like Live Aid, we have charity shops, there are endless appeals. Even governments allocate a portion of the budget to overseas aid. Sending money to developing countries has been going on for over 60 years and they still don’t even have clean water. Let alone anything else. More than enough has been given. Donating more money won’t solve the misappropriation of funds. Just the same as throwing more money at the NHS won’t cut the waiting lists.

Why do food banks exist then?

BigChesterDraws, since 1981, the charity Wateraid has provided 28 million people with a clean water supply and hygienic toilets, in countries all over the developing world. Charity IS effective - don’t be put off donating. Yes, there is still a long way to go, but progress is being made. Infant mortality due to diarrhoeal illness and dirty water has dropped dramatically.

How long has water aid existed. Yes it still exists by now from their own adverts the amount of years they have been running surely every village should not have a well?

you could send millions but untill the countries including our own use that money properly it won’t change.

A lot of those countries are not poor so there is no excuse for the conditions their citizens live it while the rulers live in mansions with many jewels and cars. Don’t forgot the massive salaries of those ceos and in alot of cases sexual abuse issues of those towards women and children in third world countries.

The poorest actually tend to be the most likely to donate which is all wrong.

I don’t and won’t donate money to charity but I will donate food and clothes to local charities.

Britain cannot feed its population from its own supplies alone op.

exactly, food banks exist, and one of my main jobs for the local food bank ( not that I directly have involvement with them just indirectly) is the disposal of surplus unwanted food, today for example, apples, bananas, carrots and bags and bags of sandwiches. I wasnt packing for disposal myself today, but my friend was and I just asked her

I think the world is much bigger than that, and wateraid has not existed nearly long enough to give every village a well, because there are more villages than you are imagining