Corrosive charity

Self-esteem is more precious than gold.

While generally given with the best of intentions, individual charity is handed down, not across.  By not requiring the recipient to give in return, charity implies that the recipient has nothing of value, and is him or herself of no value.  That is not its intended message, but it is the message received, even if subliminally, by the recipient of charity.  Charity is corrosive of the dignity and self-esteem of the individual recipient^[1]. 

Generalised charity or aid in response to a natural or social disaster is quite different in character and does not undermine individual self-esteem, unless it somehow infringes tribal or national dignity^[2]. 

The source of individual charity matters little - be it State, Church, private, or even filial charity.  Acceptance of charity is an admission of failure, and a substantial and often lasting blow to the self-esteem of the individual who is then highly vulnerable to being drawn into a vicious cycle of dependence and ever lowering self-esteem^[3]. 

Charity takes different forms.  It is not just a hand-out or a food stamp.  Many aspects of affirmative action^[4] or positive discrimination amount to charity. 

The damage is greatest upon the first acceptance of charity.  The demeaning impact of the second and subsequent receipts is far less severe, and the recipient rapidly settles into dependence having lost the will, the self-esteem necessary to pull out.  Like the first visit to a sex shop, your first crime, or your first divorce, the first acceptance of charity is likely to be awkward and emotionally challenging.  But each subsequent visit, crime, divorce, or acceptance of charity becomes easier.  The recipient may come to rationalise^[5] the receipt of charity in a way that insulates his or her self-esteem from further erosion, and may even come to demand it as of right.  At that point dependence has become ingrained. 

Make food readily available to a beast of prey, and it will stop hunting, and soon lose the ability to hunt - its edge, its fitness, its leanness, its motivation, its confidence.  Before long it will be waiting for you at the customary feeding station. 

Life is efficient - we are programmed, like all living beings, to do no more than we have to - to conserve energy and effort - to adapt to our environments.  Give people their sustenance for nothing, and they will do nothing to sustain themselves.  Not sustaining themselves they rapidly lose the ability to sustain others, and to make a positive contribution to society. 

To be able to sustain ourselves and our dependents, and to contribute positively to the societies in which we live, we need self-esteem, and self-esteem generally requires us to feel that we are independent^[6] and able to make our way without charity.