To avoid even the appearance of impropriety many members of the Hwy 111 Crowd
choose
to remain anonymous when they give to charity. But to be Human
is to be social and no one can
blame a philanthropist for wanting to be well thought of. Though it rarely
if ever is requested, most
are not adverse to getting at least a little recognition for their generosity.
This is done through the
sponsorship of galas and the discrete invitation of certain members of the
press. The presence of
Paparazzi at these events may seem to be a barely tolerable annoyance, but
their pursuit of celebrity
attendees generates ancillary publicity for the charity and their benefactors
which is tacitly if not
overtly encouraged.
Against this backdrop of excitement and glamour it is easy to forget the
reason for the event
beyond mere lip service. The wealthy are, after all, only human and susceptible
as any of us to
pretense. But though secular philanthropy may seek to distance itself from
its religious roots, the
reason it exists remains to serve some social good. If it does some
evil, intended or not, by
definition it is not philanthropy. When it becomes clear to a truly altruistic
philanthropist that an
unexpected wrong has occurred as the result of seeking a little publicity
for a sincere effort to do
good, it is their responsibility to make every effort to right it.
Certainly philanthropy is a good thing and suppression of greed
the first step, but if money is the
root of all evil and greed the trunk, then fame is certainly one of its largest
branches. Moral
perfection is an ideal state rarely attained by mere mortals. It is the diligent
pursuit of it that refines
and ultimately defines us.
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