Charity Begins at Home Essay

It is an old saying which holds good in every sphere of life, It means that a person’s first duty is to help the members of his own family. Any act of goodness can be in the right direction only if it spreads goodness all around, but a good act must be started from one’s own environment. Everybody should do good to his family members first. Charity to others at the cost of starvation at home cannot be appreciated. If a man ignores his family members and does good to others, he is most likely to be an object of ridicule. The family members are the first charge on one’s resources. If somebody is in a position to do some good or to extend some help or assistance—monetary or otherwise—to others, he must see to it that the members of his family are not left in deprivation. It is only after the needs of the members of the family are fully met, the help and assistance may be distributed among others. Here, too, there is a comparative priority—relations, friends, community circle and so on and so forth. If we take the case of social reform, a man should first try to introduce reform in his own family. Instead, if without reforming his own family, he tries to reform others, people will not listen to him. He would rather end up in failure. It does not carry any weight if a chain smoker advises others to give up smoking while he himself does not leave the same. It is better if one presents his Own example. Philanthropists donate money to educational institutions, hospitals and orphanages. But before doing so, they must try to satisfy the needs of their family, relatives, friends and com-nunlty. A doctor must attened to the health problems of his own (tolly members before extending medical advice or assistance to ‘Charity begins at Home’ also means that unless a person is to his own family members, he cannot be expected to be good †¢Others. The reasons are obvious. Family is the core of one’s i is the immediate environment. The first responsibility of II towards his family. A man is alway more sincere to his lily than to any other person. A normal man cannot over-_ Ignore the family ties and responsibilities. If somebody ‘ Uself an exception, he is likely to be mocked at or looked by others. acts must have their beginnings from one’s own or environment. Nobody cleans other’s house before his own. Before lighting a candle in the temple Xhis own house. Before feeding others one does mily members. For all the good acts one’s family One cannot rather do ood things to others in If one ignore one’s own family in that regard. jtoo 11 equally applicable in the international field. Mil primary responsibility for its own people. It can do good to the whole world only after it has met the requirements of its own people. A country committed to the removal of povery in the world must first tr y to remove poverty of his own people. Beginning of disarmament must be made by the country itself before making a plea for world disarmament. It is no gain to call upon the people of the world to abjure war, if the country or the leader making this plea does not believe in peace.