I am responding to a post by Clancy Tucker that he posted on his blog, https://clancytucker.blogspot.com/. It was about The Peace Corps set up in 1961 by President Kennedy. The idea was to get young people to go abroad to countries that needed help and give that aid. Someone made the comment that he did not think there would be many volunteers from the current generation as they don’t seem to be into volunteering.

Be that as it may, my thoughts went to people here in the UK, not usually the young, who are against foreign aid. They often quote the Bible, although how many of them know they are doing so I’m not sure.

What they say is ‘Well, Charity begins at home, so we shouldn’t be sending all this money abroad in foreign aid. We should be spending it on our own people.’

They are interpreting this saying as ‘Charity begins (and ends) at home. This is not how I see it at all.

My interpretation is twofold.

 I see it as a message to parents to teach their children about kindness and love. If the parents don’t show kindness, love and helpfulness in the home, then the children won’t learn it. Thus, Charity begins at home, and as the children grow up with such a loving and caring background, they will then be able to extend that love to others.
 Then there is the other side of the same coin. If you cannot be charitable to those you live with, you cannot be charitable to those outside your immediate family.

That is how I see the saying. Unfortunately, too many disagree with me and rail against the help we send to poor countries.

Please leave any comments below.

Next week, as it’s the first Tuesday of the Month, I’ll be posting the next instalment of Asphodel’s story.