I was thinking today about the increase in the last few years of charity gifts at Christmas. You know the thing: a goat for a family in Ethiopia; a pile of bricks for a house somewhere else… You pay the charity and the recipient you know gets a card and a warm, fuzzy glow. I think they’re brilliant, to be honest, and a really great way to encourage charitable spending and spread the word about charitable works. But…
I don’t think they’d be possible in a society where people would actually deny themselves things as the year goes by. Come birthdays and Christmas how many times do you hear ‘oh, I don’t need anything’. On the one hand this is a sign of contentment with life and worldly goods, but on the other hand do those people actually deny themselves in any way, or do they just get what they want, when they want it, without waiting for a reason? Oh, I want the latest iPod, I’ll get it. I want that CD, I’ll get it. I want that whatever, I’ll get it. Obviously, this happens within reason, but that reason is almost always cost, not an idea that maybe that item is not actually necessary right now.
Of course, I’m not suggesting I don’t do this – I have a lovely box of new pens that I really didn’t need. And maybe it’s not so bad. It’s just worth thinking on, along with the value of that sheep, that’s all.