How to distinguish true mercy and philanthropy from false today? First, you need to understand what kindness is in general. Is it a way to achieve your own goals or a character trait that every real person should have? Is it possible to learn philanthropy and how to do it? How is it different from philanthropy?
What is humanity
Humanity is a concept that encompasses love for humanity, willingness to help people in difficult life situations, humanity of the worldview and the ability to perform acts of self-sacrifice for the sake of another. It simultaneously includes ordinary humanity, that is, the potential presence of people around them in a kind, unbiased attitude towards other people, the absence of anger towards them.
Humanity is largely a philosophical category. It has been known to the world since time immemorial and has always been regarded as a blessing; thus, examples of the manifestation of philanthropy existing in history are set as an example for the younger generation, andare valued and respected by elders.
What is philanthropy
Philanthropy is a more narrowly focused concept that includes the provision of charitable assistance specifically to those in need, as well as the provision of support in the name of a general rise in living standards. This term gained wide application in the Enlightenment; subsequently, depending on the specific country and the policy pursued in it, the concept was filled with different content and tirelessly changed.
For a philanthropist, true philanthropy is not always characteristic: it is worth turning to works of culture to understand this. For example, in the famous Harry Potter book series by Joan Rowling, Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, donated generous sums to the Ministry of Magic, but as a result, this did not prevent him from joining the war on the side of evil. The same can be found in the cycle "A Song of Ice and Fire", on which the famous television series "Game of Thrones" was filmed. Here, one of the heroines, Margaery Tyrell, used charity and assistance to those in need in order to create in the eyes of society the image of the ideal queen, improve her image and raise her authority.
Similarities and differences
From the above sections, it becomes obvious that love for a person is by no means always identical with philanthropy, which often serves as a cover for achieving one's own, usually socially condemned and unworthy goals. The famous British writer Oscar Wilde generally believed that it was impossible to lean too heavily on philanthropy, otherwise you would lose all love for a person. Through the mouth of one of his bookstoresheroes, Lord Henry, he said: "Philanthropists, carried away by charity, lose all humanity."
Today, there is an increasing growth of "toxic charity" - a destructive branch of philanthropy, whose participants are not guided by their own internal principles and views while providing assistance, support, participation in socially useful actions. They do this in order to cash in on more gullible citizens who are ready to immediately donate money to a newly created fund, simply because everyone else is doing it. In this case, philanthropy is not help, but harm to the entire charitable movement.
Be that as it may, modern history knows real examples of the manifestation of selfless and requiring nothing in return for mercy and compassion.
An example of philanthropy from life… And not even one
Sympathy was shown by the military orderly R. Barnett, who in 2003 was captured with a child in his arms. It would seem, what is unusual here? The fact is that everything happened in Iraq, and the child was not Richard. The baby's family was killed in a shootout.
The next example is striking in how humanity can help put aside a blood feud that has lasted for years. So, in the Global Network there is a photo in which doctors with dark skin color save a representative of the Ku Klux Klan, a community whose main principle is discrimination and the fight against the black population.
Another case: in 2013, the most ordinary woman in Egyptthe only one stood in front of the wounded demonstrator, who was moving a military bulldozer to protect the young man with his body.
Another surviving photo shows a French soldier helping a Spanish woman and her children carry their belongings to safety after they crossed the border during the 1938 civil war.
One of the historical photos managed to capture a German soldier bandaging a wounded Russian girl in a trench. The picture was taken in 1941.
By the way, today there are numerous cases of manifestations of humanity in wartime, not only in relation to people, but also to four-legged friends of man. So, in one of the photos, American soldiers carefully bandage the dog's wounds. The picture was taken in 1944. Similarly, the animal, but in this case already a kitten, was helped by Frank Praytor. In the photo, he feeds the kitten from a pipette obtained somewhere, since the mother of the newborn died under shelling, and there was no one to take care of him. This is the Korean War, 1953.
Famous quotes from philosophers and cultural figures about philanthropy
Thanks to the above examples, it becomes clear that philanthropy is a much broader concept than it might seem at first glance. In fact, this is love for any manifestation of life in general, the ability to sympathize, to come to the rescue when it is necessary, to discard prejudices and extend a saving hand.
Philosophers and people of art sotalking about mercy:
- "Humanity is a meaningful feeling; only education develops and strengthens it." (Claude Adrian Helvetius).
- "To overcome oneself and return to one's proper self - that's what true humanity is. To be human or not to be - it depends only on ourselves." (Confucius).
- "In everything and always showing humanity, we will preserve the memory of our appearance for centuries." (Georgy Alexandrov).
Summing up
Can humanity be learned? Certainly. It's never too late to start. There is no one who was originally born either good or bad. What a person will become depends only on what he wants to become, on the seeds of what qualities and properties he will plant in his own soul.
