..续本文上一页 so. Similarly, while some needy people hope to receive care and love from others, they can”t find those benefactors. Therefore, we established this platform so that the needy can receive help, and benefactors can contribute, each getting what they desire or need. There is an old saying, “If each of us collects wood and puts it all together, and then lights the fire, it will create a roaring flame.” When we combine the resources of all the benefactors, those who will contribute money, those who can contribute hours of work, who will contribute their time, then each of us can participate in our best way to help the disadvantaged. This joint effort will certainly enhance our community”s moral value as a whole.

　　Personally, there are two things I like to do the most—one is reading, whether it is learning about a secular matter, a book from the present or ancient times, the words of a native writer, or an overseas writer. Once I start, I forget to eat or sleep and become completely wrapped up in the book. The other thing I enjoy is to try my best to help others as much as I can within my small capacity, when causes and conditions call me.

　　For attendees here today, when you have a need for clothing or food, you never lack them or have any difficulties in obtaining them. However, you may not be aware that there are places where people dress in rags and do not have sufficient food to eat, in their everyday lives. Perhaps if you buy one less branded good, eat one less large and expensive meal to save twenty to thirty thousand yuan, this amount could help maintain some of these people for a few years, and even allow poor children to go to school. Your awareness and contributions can change the fate of a whole life. Just as a flower in a greenhouse is never shaken by the strong wind and rain outside, our leaders and entrepreneurs must go outside, look around, and learn. We need to see how many really needy people are all around us.

　　Certainly, in the process of helping people, private charities are playing an important role. There was a statistic from the Ministry of Civil Affairs that showed that in 2006, the total charitable contributions raised was ten billion yuan. Of that amount, only 3.5 billion yuan was raised through government channels; the rest was collected from private charitable organizations or inpidual contributions. Thus, we can see that non-governmental social welfare organizations are actually playing a significant role, indeed, are a great encouragement for our future charitable development here.

　　There is no doubt that when we help with charitable causes, we uphold the principle of “equality.” As long as there are hardships, regardless of in which country, ethnicity, religion, occupation, gender, and so on, we should offer our help. During this process, to avoid someone exploiting charitable acts for his or her own personal welfare or benefits, all charitable procedures should be professionally handled, be transparent to the public, and should be operated with the highest level of ethics and efficiency. We can also learn much from the concept of international charity.

　　Perhaps someone may argue: “Charity is only what the rich do; we ordinary people may not necessarily have this responsibility.” This idea is wrong. True charity is not about money; it is about the heart. We should not think that we have to be extremely rich before we can carry out charitable activities. By contrast, everyone should have the mindset to help others, and view charity as their path and aim in life. Only when we do this can our aspiration to achieve a harmonious society be truly fulfilled.

　　In fact, life is very short, so we should make good use of the few decades we have and do something truly constructive and meaningful. This is especially t…

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