Hunger for Publicity & The Selfish Charity
Do you desire publicity or do you favour privacy? Today there is a widespread hunger for publicity, where people expose everything about themselves in social media. Is that wise? And why are they doing it? That's our first theme today. The other is the question whether charity is always an expression of unselfishness, or can it be a mere tool to satisfy a hunger for publicity?
Hunger for Publicity
Hunger for publicity, only for the sake of publicity itself, is always based on an inferiority complex. For people feeling insignificant, it is an ego trip to appear on TV, in the press, or on internet, no matter the reason. If nothing else, they behave as swine to get there! (No affront to the actual animal intended.) When others see them, they feel more real.
Internet offers new and far-reaching possibilities for these individuals. There they can expose themselves to their heart's content. And why not, if that is what they need to feel real? Even if I do not share that attitude, there must be a place for such people too. It is certainly more harmless than if they take up politics. As long as it does not negatively affect their families or others in their environment, it is their own choice. Many, many people, however, expose themselves in Facebook, etc., just to end up with deep regrets.
Remember that the net never forgets, and that everything you do there can have consequences. It is better to think first and act after, than ending up wishing it all undone.
Intelligence services, the police, tax authorities, and many others are eager readers of Facebook, blogs, and similar things. They have full-time employed teams whose only task is to collect information people are giving about themselves; with pictures, personal data, and everything. Journalists and potential employers increasingly use the same sources. There is good reason to think of what you upload, it can (and will) find its way to a Gestapo or Stasi of tomorrow. And, as I wrote in my very first article at this platform, “Why Should You Always Write under a Pseudonym?“:
“Something that is innocuous today, can next month, year, or decade be deadly; or even pose a danger for one's descendants a century from now.
Of course that will not happen in most cases, but trying to predict what will be sensitive in the future, is as impossible as foreseeing the weather on a specific day twenty years from now. The irrationality of the human mind is boundless.”
The Selfish Charity
Almost without exception, people claiming to be unselfish are the most ruthlessly selfish of all; unscrupulous users of others. It can be unconscious, I am sure many of them believe in their own claims. But they use them to pursue their own interests in every step of life, often at the cost of others.
How about charity? When someone boasts about it, or is coquetting with it, is it unselfish? Donators contesting with one another about giving the most are just using it as a means to enhance their own prestige. This is the ultimate egoism and nothing morally praiseworthy at all.
“Charity should be charity, not a publicity stunt.”
(Venkat Desireddy)
True charity craves no recognition. It is not exhibited for the environment to admire, to get thanks or prestige, but is gladly done anonymously if that is viable. If anything, material or immaterial, is expected in return, it is no charity, but a transaction. There is nothing wrong with a transaction, but call it by its right name and do not assign to it a moral or altruistic value.
Related articles:
Why Should You Always Write under a Pseudonym?
Private & Public – Is it Justified With a Free Press When Privacy is Outlawed?
Privacy: What is it? Do we need it? Why are People Afraid of it?
Envy & Fear: Why do People Desire Power?
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(Image by Piotr Cichosz/Unsplash, CC0/Public Domain.)
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Well said, I am at awe how straightforwardly every word and its intent are expressed. Such a good read. Thank u for sharing.