WE live in an age where caring for and sharing with others generally takes second place to selfish pursuits.
The most obvious of these is materialism; not merely the attaining of wealth – which in itself is not a bad thing – but all the associated attitudes and add-ons that accompany it.
This includes the many status symbols to which individuals aspire: flashy cars, glitz and glamour; a massive emphasis on physical looks, style and image.
For many, goals are linked to receiving. Even the pursuit of excellence in whatever field – sport, business, academics – is linked to salary and wealth ambitions.
What is true at an individual level is also true at a business or political level: the ultimate aim is the perceived power that rank and money can buy.
On Wednesday this week, the World Health Organization celebrated World Humanitarian Day, an occasion to laud the lives of those who put people before profits, pleasure and personal gain.
Humanitarianism is defined as an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans.
As much as it has many negative influences, social media has done much for the cause of humanitarianism, including crowd funding – getting many people to donate small amounts in response to floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters.
These humanitarian gestures relieve suffering, feed the poor, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and restore respect and dignity.
For many it is linked to their faith; hence much world aid is arranged by faith-based organisations.
As is typical of the hero worship status that the general public is keen to accord to mere mortals, some are elevated to god-like eminence – despite the fact that the last thing these humble beings wanted was accolades for their charitable deeds.
And so the likes of Mother Teresa, Michael Jackson, Desmond Tutu, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King are rightfully elevated in the eyes of the masses because of what they did for others.
But it has become evident in these Covid-19 times that it is the collective, quiet contributions of the many, rather than the high profile efforts of the few, that make the real difference.
Call it, if you wish, humanitarian crowd-funding.
We’ve seen the real heroes right here in our space, working at soup kitchens, handing out masks and sanitisers, providing clothing and much more.
The real downside is the officials on the frontline of the Covid response who have jumped on the bandwagon and turned humanitarian aid provision into an opportunity for greed and profit, literally stealing from the poor as they manipulate tenders, inflate prices and raid treasuries.
But the day is a thank you to those who really care, as opposed to those who pretend to care and line their own pockets in the most non-humanitarian way.
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