Charity begins at home. I used to take this statement directly in the sense that everything begins at home. But as years passed by, I began to find more meaning in the expression. Charity really begins at home in the sense that it starts with one’s inner man and then goes to be practised on others and then to the rest of the outside spaces one operates in.
global citizenship with Gilmore Tee
I was so privileged to be a part of a school fees fundraising event, which made me realise many things and recall on things that I grew up being hammered about. Issues of realising that one as an individual can bring a smile to the next person. Sometimes as human beings, we feel that helping someone is about buying them the things that make them like you. It reminded me of my nephew; when you go home carrying a packet of crispies or yoghurt, he will forever call you his favourite uncle. However, ask him to do his homework and he will feel like you are tormenting him. But sometimes it is about realising the most fundamental human needs and how you can be of help to that individual that’s in need. It might not even take away any money from you, but at times it is just about dedicating your time to a cause and bringing that positive energy.
When you understand the importance of your existence to the next person, you are able to then divert most of your energy to positivity and perhaps be a helping hand. As a community, we do not need anyone from outside or from far to let us know how we can be of benefit to each other. Many a times, we wait for an individual coming from overseas to come through and tell us things that we already know, things of working together, collaborating and just being an extra hand to one another. I even ask myself if we are that dumb of a people when one comes through from perhaps Germany to tell us things that we already know about.
There is power in numbers and in coming together as a people. Ubuntu is something we need to be practical about. Ubuntu is you being able to share your loaf of bread with the next being; it is about you being able to invite your next door neighbour for a meal during that Easter holiday or Independence Day — that is ubuntu. It is only when we are able to be practical about these words such as ubuntu and charity that we will start to be fully functional beings.
The beauty of being able to acknowledge each other’s strengths and realise how all of us are a fully functional vehicle, with one being a wheel, the other a bolt and the other a belt, will only but take us to greater heights. It is only when we are able to realise our value in our own spaces that we can then move forward and get others to admire us. Charity really begins at home. Do follow the conversation on social media, the hashtag is #GTeeVibe.
Gilmore Tee is a well-travelled social entrepreneur, public relations and branding consultant, host, curator and above all, a global citizen. He is the co-producer of the weekly #GTeeVibe podcast and also one of the leading fashion facilitators in southern Africa. He can be reached on website: www.gilmoretee.com or Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/SnapChat: Gilmore Tee
