Charity should come from the heart.

THE STRAITS TIMES INTERACTIVE

March 20, 2007 Don't resort to gimmickry to raise funds

IT IS pathetic that after all these years, and despite the National Kidney Foundation fiasco, we still need to resort to gimmickry and vaudeville-like acts to raise funds, as we did during the Ren Ci Charity Show on Sunday.

Fund-raising for the needy is best achieved through awareness, education and example.

I have had enough of 'superheroes' attempting needless life-risking stunts to motivate the public to give. It has undertones of emotional blackmail.
It is time we grow up.

Dr Michael Loh Toon Seng

This was my exact same sentiment as I held my breath and watched Venerable Ming Yi climb up the building akin to Spiderman on Sunday night. The only difference between them is probably one is a ficticious character while the other is... afterall human. Ropes and harness were some of the tools used by him to complete this task. And probably due to the complexity and difficulties of this climb, he did not manage to complete it.

I did not donate a cent that night. No don't get me wrong. I'm not a stingy person. Neither am I unfeeling. I just feel that it's time for us to respond to this 'emotional blackmail' act to get us to donate. How many years have we watched this type of charity show whereby artists who are not professional acrobats challenged themselves to do such 'dangerous' acts to gain our 'wow' and then 'begged' us to pick up our phones immediately to make that charity call to show our appreciation for their 'awesome' act on the pretext of doing charity. After so many years, I am just numbed.

This year, Venerable Ming Yi reminded me of Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic who founded the Missionaries of Charity and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. It is not their similiarity but rather, their difference that struck me.

Mother Teresa was greatly respected by all throughout the world when she was alive. She didn't climb buildings, nor did she soak herself in icy cold water for hours to gain our respect and made us decide to do charity.

Instead it was her wise quote below which touched me.

"Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor... Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting. " - Mother Teresa

Charity should start from home. It is only after you have learnt to love your family and people around you then can you learn to love people totally unrelated to you and want to do things for these people. We should be educated on this important value.

By telecasting such shows to make us feel mainly for Venerable Ming Yi and not for the people suffering is just NOT RIGHT. It is emotional blackmail and I am not going to bow to it.

I've grown up. So has the audience.