Teach a man to fish...

There has been a lot of talk for the last few years about helping people in your local community and by extension helping people in the world community as well. I feel so relevant saying ‘world community’. But you need to realize that this is not something new. There has always been a push to help the least fortunate. I know it has come to the forefront due to the emphasis placed on it by the media, so it is more in your face than ever before. I have always enjoyed helping out people that need the help but I also enjoy teaching and I think that is the big difference between why and how people help others.

Japan has just had a great tragedy and people are turning out to help. Last year when the earthquake hit Haiti the outpouring of support and help was massive and overwhelming. Like was the tsunami in Indonesia several years ago and Katrina in New Orleans. When people see tragedy and they have the opportunity to help they will. I do think it is as important or even more important to help those that can’t help themselves out side of natural catastrophes. The young girls caught in the sex industry overseas, victims of human trafficking, people that don’t have clean water and on and on.

I truly applaud those that reach out and help those in a lifestyle of tragedy, not just what for the next natural tragedy to occur. And this is where this current thought is taking me. I prefer to teach and show how to get out of that tragedy instead of just constantly doing it for you. For instance, this is how you dig a well and maintain it, here are the supplies to build 30 more, go teach everyone you can find. Here is how you can protect yourself or learn a skill that can keep you from having to turn to the sex industry in order to earn money so you can eat. I am not naive enough to think that if I teach you a skill that all of your problems go away, but I do believe that it can definitely help. We all, no matter where you are from or who you are, want to be able to do things for ourselves.

What about you? Do you look for ways to help all the time? Do you just wait for the next advertised tragedy to strike? Do you think it is better to teach them how to do or do it for them?