Thanks Mom! | Leona Liu | TEDxMalvern College Qingdao

Key Concepts

• Charity Work: Engaging in activities to help those in need, often involving donations or direct assistance.
• Volunteer Work: Offering time and effort without pay for community or charitable causes.
• Poverty: The state of being extremely poor, lacking basic necessities.
• Societal Obligation: The idea that members of a society have a duty to contribute to its well-being, including helping the less fortunate.
• Humanitarianism: Concern for human welfare, especially as manifested through philanthropy.
• Equality: The principle that all individuals have equal rights and deserve equal opportunities.
• Societal Progression: The continuous development and improvement of society.

Forced Introduction to Charity and Volunteering

The speaker recounts being compelled by their parents from a young age to participate in numerous volunteer and charity activities. This extended to household items; the speaker's mother considered items used once as "old" and frequently donated them via a community charity box, leading the speaker to humorously suggest checking the box if they ever disappeared. This early involvement was not driven by personal choice but parental insistence.

Early Experiences and Confusion

• First Distant Charity Event: In the first grade, the speaker participated in a charity event over 200 kilometers away by car with classmates. They visited a family consisting only of a young girl and her grandfather living in a location that was difficult to access, requiring a long walk.
• Concrete Understanding of Poverty: This trip provided the speaker's first tangible experience and understanding of poverty.
• Initial Questioning: At the beginning, the speaker didn't understand the purpose of charity work. They questioned why some people lived in such difficult conditions, contrasting it with the common teaching: "if we work hard we will succeed, if we work hard we will become excellent." This led to the thought that perhaps these individuals hadn't worked hard enough, and questioning why they should help people "who don't want to put in the effort." The parents did not provide explicit reasons for requiring participation.

Transition and Continued Involvement

Despite the initial confusion and lack of understanding, the speaker continued participating in charity projects throughout primary and junior high school. It became a regular, albeit unpaid, "job." Over time, a significant shift occurred: the speaker no longer needed to be forced by their parents and began to genuinely enjoy this "unpaid job." Examples of later involvement include helping a deaf volunteer encountered in a mall and participating in various school-organized volunteer activities.

Understanding the Importance of Charity

Through years of experience, the speaker encountered increasing calls for others to join charity and volunteer efforts. While acknowledging the common humanitarian appeal ("we need a fair world so we need to help poor people, they're so pitiful"), the speaker presents a deeper rationale learned, attributed humorously again to the mother's teachings:

• Societal Progression: Continuous societal progress requires caring for the weaker members of society. The analogy used is that "the first and second floor are built on the same foundation," implying that the well-being of all segments of society is interconnected and essential for overall stability and advancement.
• Equality and Obligation: The core principle is that "all human beings are equal and have equal rights." As members of society, everyone has an obligation to engage in charity work.
• Forms of Charity: This obligation can be fulfilled through various means, ranging from small actions like donating $1 online to larger commitments (jokingly referencing being put in a charity box).

Conclusion: From Reluctance to Recognition

The speaker's journey illustrates a transformation from reluctant, forced participation in childhood charity work, marked by confusion about its purpose, to a mature understanding and voluntary engagement. The key takeaway is the recognition that charity is not just about pity or humanitarian sentiment, but a fundamental societal obligation rooted in the principles of equality and the interconnectedness of human well-being, essential for the continuous progression of society as a whole.