We Cannot Save The World...But We Can Still Make A Difference...

If Himself mentions sharp frosts just one more time, so help me, I'll lie on the floor and drum my heels while screaming at the top of my voice...

I have a friend on another site who gets her knickers in a twist about how the world is going to hell in a handcart and the oceans are receding...or getting bigger...I'm not certain which way round it is and there won't be enough food to go round the world's population and the ozone hole is positively ginormous and it's all our fault for using Mr Sheen polish in such a liberal fashion.

I said we could do with another outbreak of the Black Death and she didn't find that in the least amusing...

It's difficult to know what we ought to be worrying about when you think...ought we worry about the hole in the ozone layer? You can't solve that problem anymore than I can...Icebergs melting? Will there be an appeal for people to take on a rescued Polar Bear...where would you keep it...would it eat dog food...would it need a kennel?

There are many world problems which are totally beyond us to solve or to help...thee and me cannot stop the ice-caps from melting...it is simply the slow but sure progression of the way the world is evolving...

We cannot personally prevent the spread of Islamic terrorists...we have to put our faith in our respective governments to cope, however badly or well, with the threat in our midst.

You and I might be appalled to read the news from Saudi Arabia where people are still put to death by the sword in public...but there is little enough we can do against a country which has it's traditional ways of punishment steeped in the mists of time...while we raise our hands in horror it'd be well to remember we were hanging people in public not so long ago and America doesn't seem to recognise those who would be classed as mentally deficient when it comes to the death penalty.

But we can show small kindnesses...we can send our friends a card or a message when they are feeling down and despondent...we can drop a few coins into the homeless persons empty pot or give them a can of food for their dog...we can volunteer at a soup kitchen if we live in a city, or knit warm hats and mittens for the shelter, to distribute to those who are cold and friendless.

Hospitals and old peoples home need visitors to cheer those who are without family...charity shops want volunteers...and your money...have a look and you might see books you've never read or a cashmere cardigan for just a couple of pounds...

A couple of balls from the oddments bin in the local wool shop will make soft hats for prem babies...

We can't save the world from her sadness...but we can make a difference in small ways...

[redted]

I agree with you,I too used to worry about lots of things,especially cruelty to animals,because animals can not speak for themselves we are their voices,so I donate to a few animal rescues,it got to a point where I had to close certain pages on some sites because the results of animal cruelty was being displayed,this made me very anxious and depressed,I became ill,had to have sessions of cognitive help. The main thing I remember being told to understand is that "we can't shoulder all the problems in the world" it would drive us mad.

[Hidden in reply to redted]

Oh....poor old you being so terribly distressed...such a kind heart you must have...your therapist was right of course...we can't take the worries of the world on our shoulders but attempt to see the positive and the joyous around us...and there is much pleasure to be had from small things...a pretty butterfly or a sweet scented flower...much love and bright blessings to you xxx

[redted in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, I carry a heavy heart if I see or hear of any animal cruelty,so I tend not to venture to such sites,we all know it happens,just wish we could stop it all.

[Hidden in reply to redted]

Do understand pretty much how you feel redted about helping animal charities - as I also abhor animal cruelty. It's hard not to be affected when seeing distressing images and we can only try and help in any way possible.

Good post vashti, what a better world we'd have if we all showed this kind of thoughtfulness to one another xxx

[scorpiolass]

Someone said all change starts with the self - I so agree Vashti. However, I regularly donate small amounts to charities & I am being driven mad by the number of appeals & letters I now recieve. I think they sell the address on. I find it hard to say NO, once I am made aware of needy people, children & animals. Because I cannot support them all, I have to choose & then I feel responsible for the injured child, adult or animal I can't support. My neighbour was the same & had to wite to the charities & ask no more appeals be sent. I do wish the appeals were not quite so aggressive. Love Mx

[Hidden in reply to scorpiolass]

But you need to know when to say NO for your own peace of mind...you are not responsible for those you cannot help...the poor and the needy will always be among us...it is the way of things. I remember being totally stunned when I learned that my older brothers wife received a huge annual salary from her work with the NSPCC...she co-ordinates fund raising and of course she isn't the only person receiving an enormous wage...I'd fondly thought she was giving her time and expertise for free...silly me.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Vashti, true about the good wages the employees of many charities get while sat in their plush office. I had experience of being in contact with one of the largest arranging collecting their donators used toner cartridges for refilling for the company I worked for. It raised a lot of money for them and the lady I spoke to told me she was given a percentage of it as a bonus. I am certainly not against donating to charity shops or popping money into collection boxes but would never sign up for monthly donations . one of my daughters did and she was hounded so much by lots of others that after a couple of years she had to cancel. I find the ads on TV do leave a lump in my throat but has already said we can't do everything. My 7 year old granddaughter was in tears after seeing one about polar bears being slaughtered that she asked her mum if she would draw her money out of the bank an send it to help them. Must have an effect on other children too. Keep well, Joyce

[Hidden in reply to scorpiolass]

Couldent agree more Scorpiolass,the number of phone calls & letters can get quite distressing,I found I had to harden my heart.I support the Doctors without borders,a children's charity,& an Animal one & that's it.

Cannot afford any more.Refuse to let the others make me feel guilty! xxx

[redted]

I agree,they find the pictures that will touch our hearts, but it is good that we all vary in which charity we give to,I have 2 major health charities,and 3 animal charities,that I give to on a monthly basis,I hope the up and coming youngsters will be generous to such causes too.

[Hidden]

If each and every one of us did a little the benefit would be huge. I cannot be as active as I once was and I did love helping either with children and families in need or with mental health charities. I have therefore become compulsive about knitting and sewing for children in refugee camps! I enjoy it but am fully aware that what I am doing is a drop in the ocean and not going to change the world

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Ah but if there were enough drops they would cause a flood and that would change the world! x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

But your 'drop in the ocean' is spreading...I've looked at the site on Facebook and will be knitting prem baby hats...told a friend about it and she's going to as well...it all counts.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Vashti, thank you that is so kind, I love the fact that the Internet can be a great tool and enable great generosity and kindness around the world Xris x

[Hidden]

I did used to support one charity but they kept contacting and sending me more raffle tickets to sell so I cancelled them.

Finances don't permit me to subscribe to charities now but I don't eat meat and haven't for 44 years now because I hate cruelty to animals as well. So I reckon I have done my bit x

[bulpit]

Morning Vashti, Wise words and all very true, I get lots of request from charities for donations,only give to a couple. Strangely the BLF have stopped sending me any request, not even raffle tickets for Christmas and of course BLF is very close to my heart, Have a good day Best wishes.Bulpit

[Hidden]

Well written Vashti, there is still a lot we can do. Love Kin Xx

[Hidden]

well said and well put together Vashti and by the way some say the Ebola outbreak is likened to the black death in the 13th century but we now have science and technology on our side these days.

[emmo]

So agree with you Vashti, but I have found that I ignore all letters from charities! I give to those I feel

close to and never look at all the other post I get - but I still get annoyed that so much of our donations go

on targeting households.

[bayleyray-uk]

Hi Vashti and all,

I agree, well said. My dad was getting quite a few requests for money for different charities and organisations and was getting quite flustered by their requests as he was already paying some of them by direct debit and they were still requesting more money and was getting distressed. Now dad puts any letters aside so that I do the ripping up and discarding of mail that worries him. He's 93 and does not need this kind of pressure but does not want me to send them letters informing them of the cancellations of their direct debits and the reason why, because he feels it's mean and horrible to do so!

I on the other hand would quite happily fire off several letters to these organisations because I do not feel anybody should be strongly urged to send money.

The reason is I feel so strongly is that my husbands mother was scammed by fake organisations promising large amounts of money by buying their products or moving up the scale of entrants to lotteries or the such. The poor woman started to not eat properly so as to cut down on her weekly shopping to send to these scammers and in the end got caught up in the evil lies of psychic scammers, who foretold disasters and hurt to her family if she did not carryon paying them money. Unfortunately she got to the point the she did not believe her sons and the family when we kept trying to get her stop. In the end she had a fall and never really recovered her mental and physical health were so frail that she had no reserves left to help her recover.

Sorry to go on........but I do contribute to charities but on my terms.

Sue

[helingmic]

vashti, I think the world is what it is! We don't hav eHuns invasions anymore. I bet the papers would be full of gory photos. I think this is why it gets so exacerbated, we have teh press on eery corner flashing every drop of blood on their mobile phone and sending it back to studio.

I don't mind being a non violent person (didn't do Gandhi any good). I don't mind being kind - I quite admit that if a terrorist would point her kalashnikoff to me I would be scared, but it wouldn't last too long if I died!

I have received tons of Christmas cards wishing me peace. I haven't written any, I'm afraid because I had difficulty in knowing who John and Bev were, as I had many of those!

I share the peace in church; I know it's limited, still ... and the media didn't come to our place to take photographs of that! Are they only interested in the gory aspect of the world?

So peace to you Vashti, and peace to all of you who read this. Mic

[Dragonmum]

So agree with you Vashti - "you in your small corner and I in mine" was a hymn we sang in Sunday School as little kids and I believe every one of us can make a difference, no matter how small. It's a subject that has been exercising my mind for some time, this pestering of people who are already donating what they can to "please make a regular payment by direct debit". I have eight charities which I support twice a year - at Christmas and on my Birthday. MacMillan and Air Ambulance are on direct debit; when McMillan asked me to increase the amount I informed them (on the third approach) that any further request would result in my stopping the DD altogether. We who give are on a database, open to everyone and firms are payed by the big charities to wring every ounce out of us - I now simply tell these people that I know what they are going to ask and the answer is "No, so please don't waste your time and mine" Replace receiver! I too have had to cancel some Animal Charities - one was being shamelessly exploited to incite racial hatred, this was the Yulin Dog Meat festival and the comments against "Commie Chinese" were disgusting and I made my point before ditching them. Of course I find it horrendous and agonising, but young people in China are as outraged by it as we are and are working to get it stopped - such comments do not help. In addition I have a relative who is now endangering her health and her livelihood by her commitment to these causes - her mental fragility is such that she is the last person who should ever be involved. One of her causes in the Eastern Bloc raised 35,000 euros - pocketed by someone who now lives the life of Riley as a result!! Cynical, me?? You bet!

[coughleigh]

So glad so many agree that some charitys go overboard.We have had that expirience to,and if they come to the door they can get quite nasty.I had about 5of these before Christmas and 3we have on DD.I was upset I must admit. butI have a little bit of a temper and told them where to go ,also said I would cancel the DD,Thank you Vashti for bringing this up and thank you for all the comments..And I didnt cancel the DD but I phoned each of them and they got a serious earbashing :-)) I love this site.Something for everyone.Wishing you all well. love mags xx