Interview: Sharing Compassion

This interview is with Matt from the Share Compassion blog. In addition to supporting and volunteering with organizations, he also works hard through his blog to bring us stories about people who are using their lives to help others. (graphic courtesy of Sharecompassion)
Whenever I hear the word philanthropy I envision the wealthy giving money to the needy. I'd appreciate it if you could give me a broader and more enlightening definition of what you do and what philanthropy involves.
The word Philanthropy derives from the Greek philos, “love”, and anthropos, “mankind”, and thus means “a love for mankind” - most people associate Philanthropy to giving large amounts of money to charitable organizations, but in fact anyone who gives their time or money to a charitable organization or cause, can be considered a Philanthropist. Volunteering your time, is equal to donating your money, probably more effective as well.

As far as what I do, or the purpose of my blog, I attempt to shed a little light on the positive things that are going on around the world. So often we hear only about the negative, and when we hear about charitable organizations, it is usually followed up by news of scams or other criminal activity. I think it is important for people to see the world as hopeful and not a terrible, negative place.

I try to stay up to date on world issues, but sometimes feel overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. How do you stay focused and positive?
That is a good question, I see both the good and the bad, for me it is not about the glass half empty, or the glass half full.. it is about filling the glass up. When I see the negative in the world, it just makes me want to work harder, it motivates me.

I've always been interested in fundraising and how it's done. What does fundraising involve and what are the challenges associated with it?
Fundraising is becoming more and more internet based everyday. How it works, is in the word - Fund-raising, it is the act of acquiring money from many sources for charitable causes. The challenge is getting people to donate in the first place.

I find that I have to sometimes remind or outright tell myself to be compassionate. What steps do you take to bring compassion for others into your life?
I would be lying if I said I never felt anger towards people, but I also know that those feelings of hate or bitterness, solve nothing. Compassion is something we all must work on, everyday. It is not something that comes naturally to us. When someone being rude, or hurtful - try and imagine how sad or angry they must feel inside, and be thankful that you do not feel that way. In the end, those people are the victims, because they have to live with themselves, we only have to see them occasionally.

What brings you comfort and joy?
What brings me joy, is seeing people care for each other, seeing the compassion of a stranger, seeing someone hold the door open for another person. Simple love for humanity, makes me happy.

Posted in: empathy, global responsibility, Sharecomapassion