Our unsung heroes

Lent is a time for soul searching for our society that should be inspired by Christian values. In a world dominated by the media that is obsessed with projecting celebrities as role models in the different spheres of life, it is easy to overlook the valid contribution given by our unsung heroes who make our society so much richer.

We live in a society that measures success in terms of economic growth and individual affluence- John Cassar White

While money remains a ubiquitous benchmark of success not just in business but also in social life, it is refreshing to hear about individuals who out of sheer love and altruism dedicate their lives to support others who cannot fend for themselves. We rarely hear about these success stories because our society is often brainwashed to equate success with wealth or high status in society.

Yet we all know of cases where mothers abandon their careers to take care of aging parents who can no longer care for themselves, or to support children with special needs who need so much intensive support to get along in life. We live in a society that measures success in terms of economic growth and individual affluence, and rarely cares to examine social benchmarks that measure the quality of life of the weak in our society – like elderly people suffering from weak health, those of all ages suffering from serious physical or mental illnesses, and those who live in dysfunctional family units. The marginalisation of these minorities in our society remains a sad reality even at a time when the material wealth of the rest of our society has improved significantly in the last half century.

The worsening economic situation in most EU countries is forcing governments to cut back on the financial support that they give those directly affected by social and health challenges and the voluntary organisations that support these disadvantaged members of our society. This is increasing the divergences between the “have” from the “have not” in our society. Social solidarity is being eroded at a time when it needs to strengthen to ensure a fairer and more equitable sharing of material and spiritual resources.

It is the right time to rethink the way that the strong in our society support the weak. Our unsung heroes, who dedicate their lives to assist the family members who are disadvantaged in some form, need to be supported not just through financial assistance but, more important, through other services that are best provided by voluntary organisations. Organisation like Caritas, the Hospice Movement, and other non-government organisations are enriching the fabric of our society in a way that is rarely acknowledged sufficiently by our political leaders.

These organisations do not seek public applause for the sterling work they perform amongst the weakest in our society. They just ask for the financial support that is needed to run their organisations effectively. The time may have come to introduce a scheme whereby those who contribute to the support of Church and secular voluntary organisations should be given some tax concessions to encourage the promotion of a culture of solidarity with those who are willing to support the weakest amongst us by tangible means.

The British Prime Minister speaks about the concept of the Big Society that envisages the enlargement of the role of voluntary organisation in promoting more social equity in society. Many interpreted this as an attempt to release the government from its social obligations by shifting it to voluntary organisations. This idea has not yet quite taken off, but I see much merit it empowering voluntary non-government organisations to assume a more prominent role in promoting social equity by supporting more effectively the weaker members of our society. But this should not amount to an abdication by the government from providing the safety nets that will prevent some of the weakest in our society from crushing under the weight of their disabilities.

The list of disadvantaged groups around us is bound to increase as the “new poor” join the ranks of the traditional poor. Semi-illiterate young people who have messed up their educational years, demoralised unemployed older workers who are finding that their skills base is obsolete, and single parents who have to cope with family responsibilities and poor earnings prospects are amongst the new poor that cry for a more determined approach to promote a more equitable society.

Economic success is a desirable objective for any society. But ultimately our society will only be truly richer if it acknowledges the valuable contribution of its unsung heroes.

johncassarwhite@yahoo.com