Giving and receiving at Christmas
At this time of year, our media channels are saturated with reminders that the Christmas retail season has arrived: the advertising breaks during children’s television programs are filled exclusively with toy promotions; almost daily, newspapers contain additional magazines containing ‘64 pages of great gift ideas’ or the like; and our regular magazines all contain the obligatory lift-out gift guide or gift ideas section.
Amongst all this commercialism then, it was with interest that I recently read - in the weekend magazine of a major Melbourne newspaper - the profiles of five people who have dedicated their lives to helping others, and who have found great satisfaction in giving to others in this way. I read these profiles to discover any common themes to their motivations and to consider how well Baptcare reflected them.
We know that bad things happen to people and that these people can be written off or left to their fate by society, even if the events were outside their control. A common theme of the five interviewed was their determination to work against the creation of a relentless, competitive society characterised by a ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality. Rather, each had, at some time in their past, been profoundly affected by witnessing some gracious act or kindness and the transforming effect that had on the situation of a suffering person, and the radiating effect that kindness had on others.
These experiences led each of them to the conviction that living exclusively for one’s self was inherently unrewarding and that it is the kindness we show to others - the generosity we display to strangers - that glues our society together.
So, it seems building a better society starts with each of us finding a piece of our mind to consider others rather than focussing exclusively on ourselves, empathising with them and then acting generously in some concrete way.
At an organisational level, we at Baptcare work with those in need to help them create a better future. Our work is highly regulated and our workforce has become increasingly professionalised. I am encouraged that Baptcare goes beyond this organised, regulated and professionalised approach to express something more. This can be seen in our staff who so often go the extra mile (and who, statistics show, choose people-helping careers at lower pay relative to their qualifications) and in our volunteers, donors and other supporters who give generously in so many other ways.
My hope is that this Christmas, all of us may experience such gracious generosity and be affected by it, both as giver and receiver.
Thank you.
Jeff Davey
Chief Executive
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