I understand the desire to be a critic and trying to not cross the line into hypocrisy is something I face daily.

Thank you for that comment…

The problem with being a Critic is it leads and fosters a Hypocrite with enough time. I advocate private donations over government financial support but do I really give enough myself? I think most of us sit comfortably in our lives by ignoring this kind of tragedy. We hide behind our monetary donations, usually through United Way, and lie to ourselves saying “We gave enough, we’re good people”. Money, however, is only part of the problem as I learned by actually reading what this organization does. They touch lives. Can we all say that?

Sometimes we need to set aside our debates, discussions, social agendas, political discourse, right/left beliefs, and go out with a helping hand. When I thought about how I want to raise my children, why is it I never thought about teaching them to help others as a way of life, a habit? What kind of people would I like my children to be and what kind of person do I want them to remember me as?

So as I read this I am extremely humbled and I must remember that even the organizations we like to criticize are mostly populated by people who are better than I no matter what the latest headline may read. They are populated by people doing something. From now on, before we criticize these organizations for thier faults, we need to remember to ask ourselves if we are being a Hypocrite. There are no answers to all of lifes problems, there are just good people who do something about it.

I don’t believe in mandated social programs, I believe in private donations and volunteer work. Maybe if enough of us critics stopped being hypocrites, we wouldn’t have to argue against such programs. I think it’s time I stopped criticizing so much, stop being a hypocrite, lest I pass that legacy on to my children.