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True Charity...

Por Mariel Fiori
December 2020
...begins at home, or so they say. And the truth is that this saying applies to many aspects of life. From loving oneself so that others can love us, to taking care of the family, the home, the community where we live in the first place. I discovered that this saying is different in other Spanish-speaking countries. In some parts of Spain, for example, it is said: well-understood charity begins with oneself. Instead of the more ambiguous expression, and therefore one open to more interpretations "at home", something more direct, and perhaps more selfish, is implied, "by oneself".

Well-understood charity starts at home. It begins, that does not mean that it ends there, it is only the beginning of charity. And what is the “home”? This is where all the interpretations and possibilities that one wants to contemplate come in. The first house, our body, what do we give it for food, junk or nutrition? Do we serve it with exercise and rest? Do we help or stress our poor body? Are we aware of the law of cause and effect in every aspect of what we do or stop doing? Another house, the physical home where our first house is located, is it clean and orderly? Are we in solidarity with your floors, windows and walls? Is it nice no matter how small or old it is? And what about the people who live in that house with us? Let's say that the family, our partner, children, etc. Do we have a charitable attitude towards them?

This solidarity does not end with one or their home, it begins at home. And the house is in a community, a city, a town, a region, a planet, our only known home. According to the Global Footprint Network, the almost 8 billion humans who live on Earth today have a combined consumption level that needs the renewable resources of 1.7 Earths and, unless things change, by 2050 we will need three planets . But we only have one! This beautiful home planet. And how is charity around here? How badly do we need the latest electronics, biggest car, drinks in plastic bottles, eating overcrowded and abused mammalian meats every day? Consumption consumes our own personal energy. Do we live to work and work to buy more things that kill us and our only home? Do we compost, compost to fertilize our seedlings? Do we separate organic from inorganic waste? For other ideas on how to apply that of charity in our house on Earth, I invite you to read and follow the advice in the environment section of this magazine.

Charity, solidarity, compassion, empathy, love begins with one and as an expansive wave it spreads all around us. So you can also understand how important it is for us to do our Christmas shopping from local vendors, and if they are from Hispanic immigrants like us, even better, we are leading by example. Right? If we want them to treat us well, to respect us as we deserve, let's do the same with others, with those who look like us, and those who don't, of course! That is why this month you will find in La Voz a mini guide to local businesses as a base of ideas to continue complying with the famous saying. Well-understood charity starts at home.
And this information house, La Voz magazine, has already completed 16 years of presenting you with independent and local journalism, made with love by immigrants and children of immigrants, in Spanish,  so that we can learn more about how things work here, and from a non-profit organization, Bard College. Sometimes a good gift is to make a donation in the name of a loved one to an organization that in some way supports the community where we live (and incidentally, the donation is tax deductible). If it is in your heart and your possibilities, donate today to La Voz magazine and contribute your bit with the wave of love and shared charity. lavoz.bard.edu/donar

Have an excellent end of the year and we will meet again in February!

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La Voz, Cultura y noticias hispanas del Valle de Hudson

 

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