Charity

Charity, volunteering, supporting activities: in Japan, such philanthropies are not common as much as America and other countries. I had not thought about charity activities deeply until recently.

When I think of a charity, “24hours TV, love saves the earth” is off the top of my head. It is a famous Japanese charity TV show which is broadcasted once a year. I also hit upon charity bazaars at churches and street charity collections, especially the Red Feather charity collection.

The “24hours TV, love saves the earth” is basically on the air at the end of August, and it has been broadcasting for more than 30 years. It has a different main theme each year. Nowadays it makes us feel that summer vacation will end. The show is made from many documentaries, a few dramas, some famous and popular artists’ stages and a marathon. Their documentaries and dramas are about people suffering from intractable disease, physically disabled or mental disabled people. Famous singers sing their songs as inspirational songs for people who really need helping hand or have their problems understood by the others. The marathon was started in 1995, when the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck Japan. The first runner was a famous comedian who lost his house in the earthquake. He ran from Kobe to Tokyo, for encouraging victims of the earthquake and hoping the disaster areas would be reconstructed.

The first show touched many Japanese people’s hearts because we had never seen such a big charity show before: a bunch of big stars appealing to people to donate during the show, and a large audience visited the hall to donate. Finally 1,190,118,399 yen was collected. The first theme was “Let’s present bedridden elderly people with baths! Let’s present buses with lifts and wheelchairs to handicapped people!” At that time, I collected many coins from throughout my house. Then I went to a bank with my mother to donate about 3,000 yen in coins which were stored in a bottle.

While the show has been repeating, unfortunately people have started to think the show is losing a charitable spirit and feeling like a TV show forcing drippy impression on the audience. In Japan, TV shows have to be businesses and make money, even though they are charity shows. That’s why it is impossible to make 100% charity TV show in Japan.

I have the same strange feeling for street charity collections, too. When I was a student, I donated coins and got a red feather when I found the Red Feather charity collection. I had hoped my goodwill would help people who needed support, though I only donated a small amount of money. I remember that wearing the red feather made me a little bit proud yet embarrassed. Since I heard news about many frauds which imitate street charity collections and abuse people’s good intentioned behavior, I haven’t donated. I know there are many properly charity collections, but I have started doubting all of them.

When I was living in America, a child who looked like 10 years old visited my room and asked me to buy chocolate bars. I can’t remember what his purpose was, but I bought 2 chocolate bars, because they were cheap and I couldn’t speak English well.

I wonder if I really have a charitable spirit. Of course, when I watch or hear news about victims of natural disasters and in poor countries situations, etc, I thank God for my situation and want to help them. At the same time, suspicion begins to grow in my mind and I think that I do not want to fall prey to cons. Eventually my suspicion becomes stronger than my philanthropic mind.

Maybe I’m not a person who cares about philanthropies in a true sense. I only want to believe that I am a person who cares and has an interest in charity activities. Today, when the whole world is fierce, my feelings become strong, which want to be good for other people and to trust them. However I want to believe others strongly, I can’t change my nature which wants not to be coaxed opposite my feelings yet.

I want to be a person who can trust, love and forgive people and try to understand others. I also want to be a person who can care and try to protect the helpless and powerless people of society. Now, charity is an unusual activity to me. I hope it will become an ordinary activity in the near future.

Now might be a time to change my mind: even if I am tricked, it doesn’t mean that I will lose all my money. If there is a possibility that people who need support will be finally helped by money or relief supplies, I should take actions.

When I take actions, taking the first step, a real philanthropic spirit will begin to grow in my mind.