“Happiness Is Found Helping
”- all of us have heard
phrase at least once in our lives. Scientific research provides compelling data to support it. Effectively, giving is a powerful pathway to personal growth and lasting happiness.
regarding volunteerism, there is “a strong relationship between volunteering and health: those who
have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not
” (Grimm et al. p.3).
Regardless, in order to be happy,
need to see the effects their comportments have on
. The reason is that many aspects regarding
and volunteerism are not taken into consideration
as “
porn” and “White
Complex”.
, certain behaviours could cause damage, increasing racial discrimination. "Giving" may not help the other person, but only help the donor to have a clear conscience.
, in today's society, it is looked upon as favorable to donate our
and our
to help
in need, being mindful of the consequences of each action should be just as important, even when
are guided by the best of
.
The
aspect to consider is
. "More than three in ten adults around the world donated
to
in 2020" according to the World Giving Index report.
is an indicator calculated every year by the Charities
Foundation, an English charitable organization that has been active for 45 years (CAF).
Other research on
have been conducted, and it appears that giving makes
happy.
, a study conducted by Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton and colleagues in 2008 suggests that donating
to someone else makes you happier than spending it on yourself (Gilbert).
, in a 2006 review, Jorge Moll and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health noticed that “when
give to charities, it activates regions of the brain associated with pleasure, social connection, and trust, creating a “warm glow” effect” (Moll et al.).
of the studies above mentioned, it can be inferred that donation makes individuals happy from a biological point of view as well.
, as
investigation by Lara Aknin et al. demonstrates,
need to see the results of their
in order to be truly satisfied. Participants in
survey were asked to donate
to
or Spread the Net (these two associations were chosen because they were partners and had the same goals). In the case of
, which is a huge organization, it is difficult to see how a tiny donation could make a
.
, Spread the Net makes a clear pledge to donors: for every $10 donated, a mosquito net will be given to protect children from malaria.
study revealed that the more
donated to Spread the Net, the happier they felt.
, gratitude was completely cancelled when
donated to
(Aknin et al.).
probably need to imagine how each dollar donated will make a
and see the results of their
because they could think that “most of the
are fake and they don’t spend the donation amount in the right way” (Khadim).
, helping everyone in becoming more aware of their
may
in increasing
and making
happy. After all, the most significant factor of raising awareness is avoiding the misconceptions that some charitable
promote.
, the idea that with 10 cents you can save a child's life. In
sense, the value of humanitarian
is diminished because with 10 cents you are not offering support of a high level. With these
,
can be persuaded that little is enough to do a lot. By doing so, the suffering and dignity of
are belittled.
, another facet of
that receives less attention is
porn. The concept of
porn (
known as “pornography of
”) was
introduced in the 1980s. During
, hard-hitting images were used by
companies.
, images of malnourished children with flies in their eyes. The use of these photographs immediately became fashionable, and various charities, like
and Oxfam, presented (and continue to represent) famine, destitution, and kids with the intent to elicit sympathy and increase funds. The usage of these images is controversial, as some believe it is synonymous with exploitation to get more
, while
admire the way it can allow
to achieve their goals. Though it must be considered that these visuals are being shown to a large audience without any tools to understand the underlying causes of these. Effectively, these representations could distort reality by portraying a powerless civilization
completely reliant on other Western societies to thrive (Wikipedia).
, it was uncovered at a Catholic
-affiliated school in South Dakota that letters sent for an Indian school fundraiser were signed by fictitious children. Michael Roberts, head of the
Nations Development Institute, which seeks to strengthen and sustain Native communities, claimed “They are raising
in the name of Indians, using the worst of
porn of all Indian
to raise
on all our social ills” (Griffin).
What happened in South Dakota provides insight into how
often use stereotypes to advance their own goals.
,
who are aware of these "harms" caused by
are less likely to give
to them. The knowledge that certain activities contribute to racial inequality and stereotypes can,
, motivate individuals to donate when necessary, avoiding the political instrumentalization of
.
Another element linked to "giving" is White
, which has a strong correlation with volunteering. The term White
refers to “white
who consider themselves wonderful helpers to Black, Indigenous and
of Color (BIPOC) — but they “help” for the wrong reasons (and sometimes end up doing more to hurt than help)” (Raypole).
It
refers to
that operate under the premise that they know what is best for developing countries. In short, white saviours consider themselves as superior, rushing to "make a
" without taking into account whether or not that
will have more harmful than positive consequences. Because they continue to neglect the opinions of those they claim to help, the white
tends to emphasize inequality in
way.
From
perspective, Whites are portrayed as guiding figures in imperialist and colonialist ideology, in their role as educators. BIPOC, according to the white
mindset, requires leaders to lead them out of their powerlessness. As a matter of fact, white colonialists used to regard
of colour as "primitive" and uncultured,
the White Savior may be seen as a form of neo-imperialism (Willuweit).
mindset is both wrong and racist, and it stifles progress. Fortunately, new
are forming to combat
mentality like “Nowhitesaviors” (Advocacy).
To wrap things up, there is a sentence from an attractive website that has the objective of “Reflecting on diversity, equity and inclusion” named The Black Mirror – “White saviours mean well and want to “make a
,” but let us remember that those good
alone are not enough. In fact, good
in themselves can sometimes turn harmful. Always be aware of your power and privilege. And, do the best you can to make the world a better place for all” (Dwyer).
As mentioned before, volunteering is another context where White
can be found. There is essentially little consideration of the negative consequences of volunteering, as is the case with
. From Cambridge Dictionary, “(a
is) a person who does something, especially helping other
, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it”.
, it is understood that a
is defined as someone who offers to help and do something. What kind of thing? Is
service always requested? Those who decide to undertake a
experience,
abroad, have mostly good
.
, the issue stems from the mindset with which activities are carried out. Both White Savior Complex and "assumed racial superiority" may impact
attitude. In fact, when some volunteers are sent to a particular
, mostly without any knowledge, they feel like heroes. They believe that their help is always needed; at the same
,
is not the case, because helping entails responding to a specific request. Admittedly, the relationship between rescuer and beneficiary is quite complicated,
one must examine the effects that particular attitudes might have on the communities they intend to help.
The damage to the community occurs when
without being able to grasp its complexity and diversity. It is not always necessary for a
to be modernized or Americanized.
, many volunteers have little expertise or abilities, which is a terrible reality of how some of these
operate. In
way, they deny locals the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and move the
and
away from achieving self-sufficiency (TEDxLAHS).
“Fortunately, the negative impacts associated with
tourism are not necessarily inevitable, and can likely be mitigated when projects are properly planned and managed” (Guttentag).
, so as to prevent harm from being done to the community, it is necessary to be aware of your attitudes and what you are doing. It can be understood that assisting
is not always the greatest option. In reality, when deciding to
it is necessary,
and foremost, to consider the credibility of an organization. Know how the
or
will be used, and acknowledge that White
exists in order to strive to change it. The
crucial step is to create a list of your skills; you must be honest and figure out whether you possess the skills required by the organizer. It is
important to keep in mind the real reason you want to undertake the
experience.
, once you begin the experience you will need to establish a relationship with the community, get to know it, and enjoy its cultural diversity.
, the purpose of
discussion is not to dissuade
from volunteering or donating. In truth, it is a method of encouraging everybody to reflect critically on their
. Being well-informed and educated allows one to approach the perspectives of
. Understanding is about giving humble, helpful help and preventing it from becoming a display of power. Unnecessary assistance does not
development; rather, it contributes to perpetuating inequality and the cycle of
. Echoing a phrase from earlier: “Always be aware of your power and privilege”. Only through awareness, help could truly be synonymous with happiness, both for the giver and the receiver.