Death is sad. But its not that sad. What's really sad is all the sad things that occur in life. I think death's sadness is framed, limited, because of inevitability- whereas the sadness of occurrences amongst living people can often be prevented, cured or softened. The sadness of life stings with the realistic venom of guilt and regret.

Until very recently, (that is about an hour ago) I argued my in-born philanthropy on grounds of social justice, levels of privilege, fairness, equity and even wwjd. But what I have just realised is that we don't have to help because we have to. We have to help because we want to.

Do you  have to help then? No. Should you help? Perhaps. Can you help? Naturally. Most importantly: are you so inclined? Do you want to give up something of your own, of yourself? That I guess depends on how much of life's beauty you have seen. It depends on how much love you have been given. Without realising how full and lucky we are, we will never give a shit about anyone else, because we are still in fighting mode, fighting for our own success, acceptance and love.

As we fight our own battle, we seem to view the sad faces of suffering or underprivileged kids as threats. Threats to our wealth, joy and bliss. Little mouths that wants to turn our holidays and brand names into bread and education and dreams. How dare they...

I know someone, or should I say I have met someone that says 'poor people are poor because they want to be poor'. This guy who says this, he doesn't owe anyone anything, he a so called self-made man does not have to help. I wont argue with him. However, what I do find very very strange, is that he is not so inclined, I find it strange that his love for his pregnant wife and unborn child does not extend to you black boys and girls that he does not know. And if he argues that his love does extend to them, I find it strange that he does not extend his money to them.

It equally upsets me when I view and treat people as things, faces, names, profiles- projections that are not special, beautiful and amazing. That I can look at another human being, be it at the traffic light, shop counter, shopping mall or restaurant, and not see the miracle, that I find so sad that I would call it a tragedy. Me, being face to face with another human being and not recognising the miracle of their humanity is tragic.

At the end of any epiphany or revelation follows a brutal question of relevancy: so bloody what? What are you going to do about it? How will this change what you do, with your time, energy, skills and bucks? Not because you have to, but because you want to.

Do you want to?

Are you going to?