Fake Services

Charity is the virtue of the heart, not of the hand.

-     Joseph Addison, Guardian

Seasoned with sincerity or not, services to the poor always come with a blessing.

But it is also a fact that the proliferation of “fake servants” in our community blights the true meaning of charity. It is now very hard to weed out mere propaganda from the plot of genuine service.

I am not a how-to-spot expert, but I believe that there is farce kindness when the following matters are present:

1. When the sponsor spends a lot for the promotion of his charitable activity.

2. When the sponsor cannot proceed on the project without media coverage.

3.  When the project is intentionally situated in a place with captive audience.

4. When the project involves a string of speeches and self-serving audio-visual presentations before its actual implementation.

5. When the sponsor celebrates too much after the charitable activity.

6. When the sponsor peppers the town with messages praising the activity realized – like a hen that lays her egg and then cackles.

7. When the sponsor is active only during holiday season and election period, but not in times of crises and calamities.

8. When the sponsor only entertains big and well-known groups, but not the struggling organizations of the needy.

9. When the sponsor does not visit or consult the needy before implementing a project for them.

10. When the quality of services given to the needy is very poor, despite the grand promotions and announcements made.

Well, these are just products of my observations, and not necessarily subscribed to accuracy. But if ever they speak some truth, may they sink into the hearts of men who call themselves servants.