Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Youthful Humanitarians

By Chester L. Martinez


Charity is something that invokes concord and progress in society. Being a humanitarian is probably more involved than throwing some money at an aid organization. I recently discovered that the original meaning of the word philanthropy is the love of humanity. I presume devotion to fellow man also means desiring to encourage mankind.

On a fundamental plane, we are each united in our society, and that's what altruism demonstrates. It can drive home the idea that we can aid ourselves when we aid others. It's teamwork at its best, as we realize our collective promise, one person at a time.

It seems to be an emergent movement, too. There seems to be a growth in young philanthropists that emphasize value of life and humanistic efforts. Recently I saw a story about Sara Bronfman, who focuses on making and supporting altruistic groups. Who knows why youthful folks tend to aspire to philanthropy? Is it due to advances in tech and the Internet specifically, that causes people to be more cognizant of world problems? No matter the cause, one thing is for sure: one good deed motivates another good deed; it is really catching on.

Other modern philanthropists consist of Paul Newman, the co-founder of Newman's own. He built his business with health and philanthropy in mind, and has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to thousands of charities since the company started in 1982. One other person who has offered countless money to humanitarian associations is Warren Buffet.

But are these humanitarian deeds useless? Philanthropic efforts certainly give support to the world, but does the support continue over time? Is it at all likely that a philanthropic effort can influence humankind enduringly? As humankind is continually presented with difficulties, these are the issues that recent altruists cope with. What can we do as a collective group to not only aid the immediate hardships around us, but to empower in the process? We must determine what kind of help would empower the disadvantaged the most. Giving a person the ability to take care of himself while taking care of his immediate need is the best method, in my opinion. There happen to be a lot of altruistic associations that aid in teaching someone how to take care of himself and to develop a particular skill set. Of all philanthropic efforts, it is these that will cause a lasting effect on humanity.




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