Friday, June 13, 2008

a moral dilemma

june 14, 2.30 am
i travel to and from work in the ever-surprising world of western railways, mumbai. i am the guy wearing the earphones who takes out a pen and a small pad soon as he gets a place to sit. what do i write? well, stuff like this post, general thoughts about my life and the world, and off late i take a line from the song playing in my music player, and construct (or try to) a story around it.

anyways, this is what i wrote yesterday -

The moral dilemma - as i watch beggars with missing limbs, street urchins, rail traveling salesmen and the like - of whether to give or not to give. Do i have the responsibility as the more privileged party in any transaction to sacrifice for the less privileged one? - Do i offer my seat everytime to even a remotely elderly gentleman? Do i buy stuff from these poor kids roaming in the stuffy locals all day when what they deserve is an education? Do i always give some money to every beggar who looks atrophied or has lost a limb? What amount? Enough for one meal? Enough for one month? Do i actively look for people to give charity to, or just to those who come in contact with me? What about the millions of others who are in a far worse condition than i am; in a far worse condition than any human should be; and for what fault but an accident of birth?
[NFAK's 'The Face of Love' plays as i write this]

All this, as i still lament and curse my lot in life. Why wont God give me the girl? Why wont He give me [insert wants of choice here]
[Linkin Park - 'Nobody's Listening']

To ask for all this now feels so utterly selfish when seen in the light of the millions in inhuman plight. yet, a strong feeling of injustice is felt when i look at the more privileged lot.

To come back to the original questions - how much responsibility do i have [Sonu Nigam - 'Yaar Mangiyasi'] to do something for the downtrodden? how much of me should work for them? the foggy answer that comes to me is - all of it. i, indeed most people, would not be able to enjoy leisure if a man with such a bad lot in life as may push him to suicide sits in front of me. Then, how can i do it just he's physically removed from my surroundings? how can i turn a blind eye so easily? ['this is the last song that i will dedicate to you']

A guy has a lakh of rupees that can be spent on a hedonistic vacation or on giving a few random people a small break from the constant misery that is their daily life. What's the right thing to do? [Nishabd - Amitabh Bachchan - 'Rozaana']

The question is - is it wrong to favour my wants over the genuine needs of the poor? and if it is, then that's the end of all plans i ever made; of all role models i ever had.
[Eminem - '8 Mile Rd']

How to decide?
.................................................
I later recall that all this was very much alike to a 'Sports Night' episode where Dan can't decide which charity to patronize. that episode ends beautifully with Dan, hungry as hell, shares his dinner and a game on television with a homeless guy who walks into the building.

3 comments:

ramsub said...

My Ideal me would do the following:

For short term satisfaction, give up my seat to the elderly, the infirm, the people who need it more than I do, because I have the privilege of doing so. In the long run, find a cause which I truly believe in and Volunteer time and services for said cause. Donate money to charities with long term benefits in mind, such as sponsoring an education, building homes.

Lastly I would not kill myself for being privileged or wanting to favor my needs. Oprah said (in response to critics of her wealth) that she doesn’t help anyone by being poor herself or depriving herself. Doing good deeds is not the prerogative of those who need to overcome obstacles to do them nor does it require you to lead a life of austerity and self-deprivation for it to “truly” count. So go ahead, indulge yourself in your “hedonistic” vacation, keep praying for [insert choice of wants here], it will help you help others.

There are some very interesting debates out there about your question, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/magazine/13Psychology-t.html. I sense my own blog post coming…………………………

john doh said...

Thanks for replying, and many thanks for posting that link ... Fantastic, fantastic read it was, and I'll be forwarding it to my other discussion-outlets.

I agree that a life of self deprivation is not 'necessary' to truly count, but I still have a mental block on, say, spending 10 lacs on a painting (not that I have that much to spend, and hell, I dont even like paintings as an art form that much) when people around me dont have food ... so, 'it will help you help others', seems to me to be a weak rationalization.

Anyhow, this is an article that I came across that I think answers the dilemma better, for me, -

http://blog.acumenfund.org/2009/02/23/invisible-people-to-give-or-not-to-give-to-beggars/

sorry for the much delayed response.

ramsub said...

aaaah..... But I like art, and to own certain pieces of art I know I would definately need more than 10 lacs, if i could afford those pieces of art i would buy them and then donate them to a museum, because I believe that everyone should be able to access art and as Indy Jones would say, "some things belong in a museum" (i'm paraphrasing).

The Point I am trying to make is that we are conditioned to believe in a very stereotypical notion of what charity or good is. This limits us and the potential we can reach. Try and think creatively without getting bogged down by the general despair, doom and gloom scenario which people associate with charity or requiring charity.

Lead a life which satisfies you, lets you sleep at night and gives you happiness. Doing Good shouldn't have a dictionary definition.

Sorry for the late reply