When times are easy, it’s easy to be generous. If you’ve got a lot, it’s not hard to give a little, and there aren’t so many ppl wanting stuff anyway.
But times aren’t easy just now. They are hard. Lots of ppl are struggling, both here and abroad. And it’s how we respond to them now that says most about us.
So, if you’ve already done what you can to help #ShareNiger, good for you. And if you’ve no idea what I’m talking about, why not pop on over to find out what amazing thing you can do to help. If you can’t help financially, perhaps you can spread the word? Write a blogpost, send a tweet, share to a different social network?
I’m impressed with individuals, and overwhelmed by the blogging community, digging deep into their pockets to help. And the pressure on social media has persuaded the government to match the funding, so every pound donated via WorldVision is worth two.
So how much pressure via social media would it take to get our government to rethink some of their domestic policies? Because the humanity our society is showing right now to our own needy and vulnerable is rather lacking. Take the case of Karen Sherlock, a woman with multiple severe illnesses, found fit to work and told her benefits were to be removed. She died two days ago – it’s hard to say whether the stress of campaigning against disabilities cuts and having to appeal to get her own benefits safeguarded contributed to that, though it does seem likely. It’s cases like that that make me keep the spartacus report twibbon instead of switching to ShareNiger – Niger has high profile champions already, and the spartaci are few and low profile in too many cases.
So if you think that there’s more that can be done to help in this country as well as abroad, please spare a thought for the disabled campaigners, up against the wall, and fearing that they are alone against an uncaring government. Now is when we are judged, and we are judged on how we treat our most vulnerable. And right now, it seems to me, we are being found wanting.
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