Recently I have been practicing naming what isn’t being said outright and in so doing clearing the air for productive conversation and a very real sense of being in the world…so let me just NAME this for you…
WHEN YOU DONATE MONEY TO A CAUSE FOR HAITI, DO YOU KNOW IF IT ACTUALLY GOES THERE?
Ok, pause for reaction…the pink elephant in the room has been noted…yes do what you need to do…cringe, yell...moving on...
Firstly, the yoga is not meant to be easy and comfortable. In fact, it is supposed to give you a rub. It is meant to create a question that perpetuates more questions rather than finding one decisive answer. Secondly, this uncomfortable statement expresses outwardly a sentiment that I (and I am guessing many of you as well) am becoming more curious about. That sentiment being: If you do not know exactly where and how your money donated to a cause is used, is it worth it?
There is no way to know for sure if the money given to any particular agency (particularly overseas) is actually going to help the people it claims to aid. I ask you does this matter? Does this make you not want to give at all? If the not knowing of whether your money is applied exactly the way it was “intended” is stopping you from donating altogether, then I might ask you to reconsider. When you give a dollar or two to the person on the street that asks, do you know what happens with those few dollars?
I didn’t think so.
So amidst the myriad of organizations offering to send your money to support relief in Haiti, some organizations asserting their innocence against accusations of using donations for personal gain, and the state of our current economy which is teetering at best, I purpose that NOW is a most auspicious time to give! Why? Well, in a time of desperate and disparate uncertainty, the way to a place of stability lies deeply embedded within our human goodness and decency.
This is the place inside that wants to soften another’s pain, that longs to see and be seen, that is grateful for the privilege of not having to stand on the street and beg for bus fare. And it is the place inside that is grateful to be on the donating, rather than receiving end of the relief efforts. This is the source-the abundant wellspring-from which we give our money and service.
Turn to your breath-to your heartbeat-and understand (in case you have forgotten) that this heartbeat and this breath is a phenomenon occurring in every human being. This same pulse is threading through every living organism, including the bedrock of the earth even when she floods, bleeds, and quakes. If you donate your money or service because you know your heartbeat is just as precious as that of another, than it no longer matters if your dollars go to a hungry mouth in Haiti, New Orleans, South Africa, downtown Baltimore, or the person asking on Pearl Street.
Just like the yoga implores us to give up the fruits of our practice, we must also abdicate the knowledge of the final destination of our donation. Granted I do think it is wrong for any organization to use donations for personal gain and I would rather not perpetuate the drug or alcohol problem of the man I gave change to last week on the street. But the reality is, I do not know if those scenarios are true.
Therefore, give without attachment of the final destination. When we remember the source of where and why we donated anything to anyone at anytime, we remember that the importance of another’s heartbeat is equal to our own. When we donate money or service from this clear source of intention and release the final destination of that offering, we practice remembering the source of the breath and heartbeat that pulses all living things alive including the earth herself.
