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Five reasons to be charitable

Studies have shown that the ‘thought’ of caring and the ‘act’ of caring brings positivity to people’s psyche and overall health.

Chances are you are a person, and not a robot (yet), and hence are someone who gives to charity, one way or the other. Charity or ‘giving’ is a good, righteous and positive act. It can be something as simple as opening a door for someone, helping someone carry their groceries or even allowing someone ahead of you to take your spot in a queue. Yes, random acts of kindness could be non-financial as well. I would like to emphasise on the five predominant reasons to give to charity.

Good for health: Studies have shown that the ‘thought’ of caring and the ‘act’ of caring brings positivity to people’s psyche and overall health. A study by the University of California, Berkeley, led by Douglas Oman found out that the elderly, who volunteered with two or more organisations were likely to live longer than non-volunteers. Perhaps then, the odds are that generous people live longer than people who don’t give. Without a doubt, the feel-good factor resulting from ‘giving’ induces a feeling of purpose and solidarity.

Lead by example: Thinking of those, who may be less fortunate than ourselves or in distress is a sign of compassion We’d all want to live by the bold statement, make the world better, let me explain how one can do so with the help of an example. Say you go to the beach and find it full of litter. You have three options: 1. To leave it as is 2. To add to the litter 3. To clean it up. It is my firm belief that we should go with the last option, and this would action would start the day we stop saying, ‘It’s not my problem.”

Empowering the civil society’s role: A community is made up of government and people, and the two naturally meet at various points. The more the people give, the more charities, foundations, non-governmental organisations (in a reasonably regulated environment) can do greatness and attend to the needs of a larger number of people.

Easier than ever: With technology, truly anything is possible, including doing good. Whether it is from your sofa, office or even the bed, you can now perform a good act; anywhere and anytime. What’s more, the internet has led to the birth of giving for free. It was this factor, which led to the creation of arab.org, where people’s power of good gets unlocked without a hurdle and free of charge. Our team has also taken on the initiative to bring the Giving Tuesday movement to the Arab World for the first time.

Discover yourself: The fact is that there is still goodness prevalent in society, irrespective of the various events occurring around us. The words of Mahatma Gandhi resonate, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” I hope we all find ourselves through giving.

The writer is Founder and CEO, Arab.org