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Are charities the solution to our problems?

Posted on March 13, 2023March 10, 2023

Some time ago I wrote 3 different articles about the charities I personally support. These are charities which support people, nature or animals. But after writing these posts I heard some interesting criticism against charities. And so, the question arises: are charities the solution to our problems? Charities exist within capitalism and so I get the criticism. But today I want to explain why I think charities are part of a solution to certain problems today. 

Criticism

The criticism I mentioned above is the criticism that charities alone cannot change the world. We live in a capitalistic system. And capitalism is a system which encourages destruction. It prioritizes money and growth over anything. People literally die because of capitalism. That is indeed true. But right now, I cannot think of another system that we could switch to. Nor do I see society actually make such a switch. I do believe that we might be able to arrange capitalism differently. If we set certain rules and make agreements, I do think it might work someday (even though I still have doubts about this, but for now this is my point of view).

Core of the problem

So I agree with the criticism. However, I never said that charities are the solution to all of our problems. I think the core of our problems is indeed capitalism and so it’s capitalism that we need to change. How do we change capitalism? I don’t know exactly. I think the solution lies in global standards. A circular economy, veganism being the standard globally, agreements about a minimum percentage of protected areas, a ban on all pesticides, laws to protect workers, and more. I believe that capitalism and society are evolving and that there is an end point to it, a point where it is sustainable. Maybe this system does not look like capitalism anymore in the end, who knows. Let’s call it capitalism-light. 

Anyway, my point is that we always need to address the core of the problems we face today. And no, supporting charities is not addressing the core of our problems. Charities are just a nice extra to have. 

Personal behaviour

In the posts about the charities I support I also said this: supporting charities is not a way to buy off your guilt. On a personal level, making a better world starts with living an eco-positive lifestyle. That way we shift to a better world. Then we would not destroy the planet and it inhabitants anymore and that’s most important. It’s not okay if you do not live within the earth’s boundaries, but do support charities and so you think you are doing a good job. Your net impact is still negative. Addressing the massive problems we face today starts with changing the system we live in and changing our lifestyles. 

Extra

So why do I then still support all these charities? Well, because I personally already live an eco-positive lifestyle. I already live in a way that is transforming capitalism. My base is already good. So, any positive impact I can make is a nice extra. All the money I give to charities is just the best I can do to speed up the process towards a better world. It’s a way to speed up the process of making things better, right now. And also: it’s the most ethical thing to do.

End of charities

If we do things right, if we address the core of our problems due to capitalism and solve the big problems of today (hunger, poverty, climate change, loss of nature, etc), charities are not needed anymore. Right now, I support charities to speed up the process to a better world. But my hope is that charities die off eventually, simply because they’re not needed anymore. But today that is not the case yet. And so, I feel like it is my duty to donate to charities and speed up the process of solving all these problems. 

Effective Altruism

Why do I feel like donating money to charities is my duty? Because it’s the most ethical way to spend your money. If you follow a classical thought experiment from Peter Singer, you’ll find out. I’ll elaborate on that experiment another time, in a special post about effective altruism. But what it comes down to is that every time you buy something for yourself which you do not absolutely need (like a 6th pair of shoes, a holiday, make-up, more clothing, etc.), you choose not to spend that money on saving lives/making the world a better place. Donating to charities can literally saves lives. And so, if you choose to buy a 6th pair of shoes instead of saving a life, you’re making an unethical choice.

Imperfect

But as you might think right now: this is a little extreme. If you are as privileged as me, it’s extremely difficult to never go on a holiday or buy something nice for yourself. Rich people waste money all the damn time. Therefore, I think it’s impossible to live 100% ethical. Living 100% ethical would mean that I would work as much hours as I could, to donate almost all of my money. I can’t do that, I can’t be that selfless. But that does not mean I can do nothing at all. I can choose to donate a big share of my income to charities. Right now, I donate 7% of my income each month and in the future I hope to enlarge this percentage. It’s the best I can do right now.

Yours sincerely,
Romee

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ABOUT ME

 

when a teen goes green

Hi! My name is Romee Hoeksma and I am on a journey to an eco-positive life. An eco-positive lifestyle is a lifestyle in which I have a more positive than negative impact on the beautiful planet earth. On this blog you can follow my journey to a life with only positive impact. At this blog you can find all sorts of things, from tips to recipes to personal experiences, but most of all fun (I hope!). I write about how I want to change the world, but don’t look at it as if I’m judging you. If anything, I like responses from my dear readers the most, so don’t hesitate to contact me or respond to any of my posts!

Yours sincerely,
Romee

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Vandaag een artikel op mijn blog over Pieter Pot. Een webshop voor verpakkingsvrije boodschappen 🥜. Een geweldig concept die jou helpt je afval te verminderen én er ook nog eens heel goed uit ziet in je keuken #nospon. Je leest het nu via de link in mijn bio. Een greep uit de vegan maaltijden die ik at in mei 2023 🧆. Als ik zo terugkijk heb ik de italiaanse weer helemaal ontdekt, haha! Maar het hoogtepunt was wel echt de vegan, zero waste, kaassaus die ik maakte voor over de nachoschotel 🫘. Welke vegan ijs-, toetjes- of yoghurtproducten zijn het lekkerst? Ik zette het voor je op een rijtje in een artikel die vanaf vandaag te lezen is 🍧. Je vindt de link in mijn bio. Spoiler: deze van Hertog staat er zeker tussen! #plantaardig #vegan #blogger ✨ 4 tweedehands outfits die ik droeg in mei 2023 👗. Ik had op iets beter weer en iets koudere outfits gehoopt, maar goed, dat schuiven we dan maar naar juni! Ik ben poepdonor 💩. Ja, écht. Ik doe mee met een wetenschappelijk onderzoek waarbij mijn darmflora gebruikt wordt om mensen met een leveraandoening te genezen. Ik ben zo blij met de positieve impact die ik hiermee kan maken! En ik krijg er nog betaald voor ook. Meer weten? Lees het artikel dat ik erover schreef via de link in mijn bio. Binnenkort zal ik er ook een Youtube-video aan wijden. #donor #positieveimpact #nafldnashresearch Minimaliseren en ontspullen blijft een ongoing process 📦. Ik vind dat ik niet al te veel spullen heb, maar toch geef ik nog geregeld spullen weg aan de kringloopwinkel. In deze reel laat ik de laatste 5 items aan je zien. Plantaardiger eten hoeft niet moeilijk te zijn, je moet net even weten welke producten vegan zijn. Vandaag deel ik een makkelijke swap voor mayonaise 🍟. Het is weer mei! En dat betekent dat er weer een artikel met podcast-tips op mijn blog staat (de vijfde in de reeks inmiddels!). Vandaag lees je over 4 podcasts die ik aan bijna iedereen zou aanraden 🎧. 5 vegan maaltijden die ik at in april 2023 🥙. En ja, écht alles is vegan. Want elk gerecht is te veganizen.

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