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Charity in an Era of Constantly Requesting Donations
Giving to charities is, research tells us, good for us, but how do we deal with the constant requests for donations, and does the stress of deciding to give to organizations increase our stress?
Charitable giving, whether money, clothing, household necessities, or food, in addition to other items, is good for our mental health, and scientists have shown this to be true. We gain as others do, and that’s a good thing, but not when we are constantly bombarded by requests from organizations, political causes, or politicians.
Not simply the stress is at work here, but the whole question of to whom we should give and how that tears at our emotions to give to some and not to others. Making the choice isn’t easy when it comes to kids with cancer, working to protect our democracy, or helping starving people, hungry children, or abused animals. All of them use the same tactic: our sense of empathy, altruism, and morality.
The TV ads are extremely clever and heartbreaking, especially when we see the carefully chosen graphics that make it all the more stressful. Watching a child with their parents in activities where they have no mask or tubes attached and then being hit in the gut with the fact that they’re dead is bordering on the cruel.
