philanthropic obligation

Somewhere in the world, hundreds and thousands of bodies are lying in the streets, being shoved into once-sealed crypts, and millions of living people are sleeping on the concrete mourning those they love. And what am I doing? Sitting in my nice house, studying for the MCAT (which will kill me someday, quite soon actually).

A lot of people, usually those that are affluent, don't feel any real obligation towards those less fortunate, or at least they don't act on it, so they can't take it that seriously. I think the wealth disparities in the world, especially the differences between third world countries and countries like the United States, but even the difference between poverty and affluence in the United States, are proof of that. People think that if they work hard for their money, they deserve it. A lot of people also seem to subscribe to the "rags to riches" belief that anyone, through hard work, can rise from poverty (like in "the pursuit of happyness"). While that is true on rare occasions with individuals that are poor due to a fixable bad work ethic, so many people are bogged down by circumstances that go beyond what they have power to change. Although most people look down on homeless people as being alcoholics and drug addicts, 1. those aren't easy addictions to kick and there's no reason they should be denigrated for having a hard time with it and 2. they often have mental issues that make kicking such habits or holding a job difficult.

Anyway, what I mean by all this and which I must say before my broken-fan computer explodes is that I do believe everyone who has a cent more money or an hour more time than his neighbor, whether that's his neighbor in the US or in some other country, has a moral obligation to give. Not even just a little, but a lot. People look down on my "socialist" ideas, but quasi-socialist countries have been deemed the happiest on earth (I think I'm speaking of Sweden). I am leery of pushing my moral ideas on others, but I think that philanthropic duty is a moral absolute. That being said, I think that only each individual can decide how much he can feasibly give, and that his choice should be respected without question. In the end, I'm not the judge. In my opinion, we'll eventually all face God. But even if you take God out of the picture, I think that we should all love each other, and if we love each other, donating time and money is a logical conclusion.

Not that I'm really acting out my philosophy at the moment, but considering all my money for school etc comes from my parents still, and considering I need an MD to do what I want to do (doctors without borders), I don't have a ton of money to spare. But I really want to start volunteering at the homeless shelter I go to with more of my time and spending less of it on me.

My singular new year's resolution this year is to be less selfish. While I know that's a terrible resolution because it has no tangible benchmarks or definable ending, I believe that I know myself well enough to tell whether I am progressing, and things like spending more of my time volunteering are realistic outcomes of my goal. But it's not just volunteering... it's volunteering unselfishly and for the right reasons. I don't think it's a moral action just because it's a utilitarian outcome; the intent has to be there.

It's all very difficult, and the more I try to act unselfishly, the more I fear my motives are selfish. It is my life goal to eradicate my selfishness and self absorption. That is also something only I can keep tabs on. But I fear that right now I am far from my goal.