Is "Caring" Dying?

When I grew up, we were protected by the three pillars of society. In those days it was; The Home, The Church, The School.

But for various reasons, the global church attendance has been in continuous decline. This is to be expected as modern society is evolving as it has done from the beginning of time. And the relevance of the traditional church is a very dangerous topic. It is worth noting, however, that a large number of long-standing Charities were started by a community church.

And in my opinion, this is where society started losing touch. People can only be expected to respond to something if they know about it. And if an event is not local, regional or national news, often we don't know that something is happening.

Where we do see sustained and even increased charitable activities, is in strong community-driven areas. This is where people still know and care for their community. Traditional small town living makes every effort to strengthen the community culture. But in major cities, that community spirit is practically much harder to build or maintain.

So the question is this: "If the average Man and Women see a plight, do they still care"?

I strongly believe that we are born with kindness. And even though caring might become conditional based on previous experienced, I still believe our fundamental nature is to help where we can.

Of major concern is that as society becomes more isolated, that despite that social media are making it easier to stay connected, but in fact, depression is the fastest growing disorder in the world. Often when we hear that somebody suffers from depression our response is to simply acknowledge that it's understandable.

I do believe however that charitable organisation and all institutions should embrace all digital tools, to reach out to society and keep them better informed. We should share not only the challenges but more importantly, share from the celebration of backwards. Because every day is filled with remarkable stories that will motivate us to get involved, give our time, give our talent, or even just give our compassion.

There is something very uplifting when we see somebody beating the odds, or a wronged corrected, or challenge solved. My Dad always used to say: "In any situation, when in doubt, simply care - The wisdom will follow".