Here’s a video of a short film that won some awards at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Although I think it is well done and stirs up some emotions and thoughts, there’s also something unsettling about it for me. It’s only a few minutes long, so watch it first, then come back and read my thoughts because I don’t want to give anything away:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYMnKRv4TH0]
For me this film begs the question: “Is charity stimulated by compassion or good marketing?” I wonder if it could be both. Some might argue that it was the good marketing… the same thing said with different words… meaning: more evocative, emotional, gripping, attractive, positive, motivational. It’s not enough, it seems, that there are people who are blind, starving, dying of treatable diseases, poor, or suffering in any way all over the world, right at our feet, before our very eyes. This isn’t enough to evoke compassion and charity in us. This isn’t enough to awaken hospitality and generosity among us. It takes a handsome rich man in a suit with marketing skills to entice the money out of us. The rich man himself didn’t give any money. But he did provide a marketing tip and he didn’t charge the blind man for it.
I realize the blind man got what he needed. That’s obviously a good thing. The issue that disturbs me though is not that he got it, but what it took for us to give it. That, for me, is the crucial and burning issue as a pastor of a community of people with money. How do we give? What motivates us to give? What inspires us to be generous? What are the underlying issues we have with money that we aren’t free to give it away without some kind of poignant provocation? These are the questions that provoke me. But perhaps you might accuse me of being in the same predicament as the blind man: this is beautiful, and I’m too blind to enjoy it.
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David Hayward is an artist trapped in a pastor's body, stripping to the essential.
David,
I am not sure what the purpose of the story was, but for me it registers and points out that the business man gave people a way of seeing things from a different perspective than they had previously.
It is like this. My feet cause me great pain all the time. I am afraid that I will not be able to walk in a few years. But when I am mowing my yard and the church yard and I am hurting bad, I think of all the young men and women that have lost their feet in the war and can mow their yards. Immediately I go into prayer and praise that I can still mow the yard–pain and all. Perspective. And that is how I see the clip. Perspective.
YOU: The issue that disturbs me though is not that he got it, but what it took for us to give it.
——-I think that the teaching of Jesus and the prostitute are similar in principle to the clip. The men were at the ready to stone her—-Jesus comes along and changes the would-be stoners perspective. Might we look at Jesus’ actions as sort of a live film-clip on how to see things differently–just like the clip you brought to us?
fishon
wow, that was fascinating. I’;m a fundraiser for a charity, so I’m always interested in what motivates people to give – especially in these times of stricture.
I heard a pastor in a church I was visiting a few weeks ago say “there’s always a problem with this church not having enough money”, but then he stopped and corrected himself, saying “no, there is a lot of money in this church, but its still in all your bank accounts!”
I think we get affected by the culture in respect to money more than any other issue, so suddenly we have to provide for ALL our own needs before we think about the basics for others. God’s economic rules are very different than the world’s – if you have 2 shirts, give one away to someone who hasn’t got any! Are there any of us who don’t have a spare shirt/coat/$/£ we could give?
Thanks again for stretching our thinking, Kim
This touched my soul. I love that the gentleman rewrote the sign. Had he just given him money, that may have been all the money the blind man would have received. As the old saying goes: Give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifegime! The rich man taught the blind man to fish, giving him much more than a mere few coins.
I’ll agree with you that it’s both. Compassion makes us care in the first place. Marketting directs that compassion. I think every thinking person has at one point realized that there are far far too many maladies in the world that command our attention to focus on them all.
Unfortunately, marketting has become this catch-all word for anything explaning something else to another person. Like it or not, the nakedpastor blog has a lot of elements of marketting on it, yet that does not make you an uncompasionate person.
In the short, the High-Powered Business Exectutive is simply helping other people understand why the man being blind is a negative thing. The fact alone drives many to give out of compassion. However, now instead of just knowing a fact about someone’s life, we have a framework for understanding why helping them is a good thing.
But I’ll still agree, we really shouldn’t need a whole lot of help when it comes to giving.
Thank you for sharing. It’s a very intriguing video.
Really like it. I think the issue is that those with the briefcase rarely look down.
I know a lot people vilify him… but I love Bill Gates. Yes he makes money off his “creative capitalism” ideas and Bono’s “red” programs… but they are using what they have to help. The businessman WAS “moved with compassion” in this film and used what he had to help.
Often those who are “called” to business or the white collar world won’t even take a peek into the streets because they find their gifting and satisfaction elsewhere and wouldn’t be “fulfilled” scooping soup. And while there CAN BE and arrogance to that… it’s also our problem… that we haven’t fully explored and released people with different passions to solve different problems.
Business Boy’s use of his “gifting” RELEASED people with a “giving gifting” to be generous because it helped the need been noticed.
Just my thoughts
Dave
I liked it. From a counselling perspective, I think of it as creatively reframing his need and obviously it worked. I hear what you are saying but about the uncomfortable feeling but I didn’t feel the same way. Great post David!
David
“But perhaps you might accuse me of being in the same predicament as the blind man: this is beautiful, and I’m too blind to enjoy it.”
Interesting, you didnt need any of us to tell you, you already knew it. Very Insightful.
Hmmm….I see it a bit differently.
I think its less about slick marketing and more about personal positioning.
“Have compassion. I am blind.”
Tells people what to do and states the obvious.
People–especially Americans–don’t like to be told what to do. It insults their “freedom” and makes them feel inferior.
Stating the obvious (DUH!) leads people to believe that their intelligence is being disrespected.
The typical reaction: “So, you’re blind. That doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do.” NO CLINK.
“Today is a beautiful day, and I cannot see it.”
Finds a common experience and then acknowledges a weakness or vulnerability.
People–especially Americans–like to believe that we are all equal so we look for common experience/common ground.
Of course, people know that we are not all truly equal, so when someone is humble about a weakness, and we are able to help them, it makes us feel less guilty about having more. It also makes us feel powerful, generous, and superior.
The typical reaction: “It is a beautiful day, and I am rich, and I have the power to help this guy.” CLINK.
I wonder how much God will factor in righteous or selfish motivation when tallying up our “generosity” grades?
I see this film form a african perpective. I am immediatly drawn to the problem of poverty when I see the blind man. And what saddens me most isn’t the fact that he has no money but the fact that he is percieved as a useless human being with no contribution to make. I believe that is the worst thing about being poor. Therefore I judge suit-man’s action as something positive. He helps the man to make a contribution, he finds a “use” for this man, empowering him to remind others that the day is beautiful and not to be taken for granted (a great need). By fulfilling this role in his society this blind man not only sustains himself financially, he lives with more dignity and self worth. If more people could see and creatively actualize the enourmous potential of the poor the world will be a much better place. Charity brings relieve but compassionately seeing the potential of poor people and helping them realize it will actually solve poverty. What Muhammed yunus did in Bangladesh is a telling example of this.
While I agree it speaks poorly of our willingness to give, it also speaks to what happens when we take a different perspective.
What would happen in the US (or even the world) if we all took a different perspective towards the poor, the needy, the hungry?
I think that the man in the suit represents everyone who attempts to preach the Gospel.
Looking at the situation there is no quick fix that anyone can give. But with the power of words, the man changes and reframes the whole situation. It’s the same as a Sermon and the Gospel presented in word format.
Buttrick writes in ‘A Captive Voice’:
“We do not preach our voices for any reason except that God has called us and seeks to use our voices for the liberation of humanity. So when we preach God’s redemptive word, guess what? Our voices, our piping little sin-struck, frightened, underpaid, hesitant voices just happen to be the voice of God. Imagine that – please, oh please, imagine that!
I think that man in his changing the words, changed the meaning of all the people in the story. From Begger of worthlessness, to human as symbol of beauty and the frailty of life”
Great post and comments.
Perhaps our conflicts on giving money reflect our sense that money can be both a blessing or a curse. It’s not just an object that easily passes from giver to receiver — it has strings attached that can ensnare and alter the perception of both the giver and the receiver.
I wrote a post of my own on this with further thoughts and reflections:
http://blog.visionnavigator.com/2008/09/what-demotivates-you-to-give.html
Blessings
I haven’t commented in months. But this struck a nerve with me too. I have worked in the inner-city for years. I have almost no charity for such people anymore from such close contact with the supposed people that need our help. Most that I have come in contact with, want no real help, they have choosen the life they live. Trying to lift them out of it, pisses them off. I have offered jobs, work for food, food, etc… But if I am not giving what they want, they don’t want it from me. they do not want to become better, they just wanted someon that felt guilty to give them something, but not to really invest in them. It has made me really cynical of those asking for help. I choose to help those that do not ask. Why, I don’t know. To me it just feels right.
Nate,
Sadly, you have hit the nature of a very huge problem on the head. You have the guts to bring it out and be politically incorrect.
That fellow with the cup, I’d not give him a dime, but I would take him for a meal. I have been turned down for meals more than I have been taken up on the offer. I wonder why? I am guessing you have the answer.
fishon
Nate & fishbon -
What about the ones who would really do need help? What would Jesus do?
Jimmie,
Offer him/her a meal, just like I said. Is that a problem?
fishon
Frankly… Jesus would touch his eyes and they’d be healed.
We MIGHT miss the what would Jesus do mark sometimes
Dave,
Don’t want to get in a big deal over this, but Jesus did NOT heal every blind man/woman he came across. He didn’t heal all the lame or raise all the dead. And Jesus did not feed every hungry crowd he came upon.
At the end of the day, it really isn’t about what Jesus would do, but about what will we do with what Jesus has given us.
fishon
I don’t think there is a right or wrong hear — I think the marketing guy did a beautiful thing. Its just human nature — we need to be motivated / inspired. I think the marketing guy was much more compassionate than the people throwing their money at the poor man in judgemental disgust — they need a punch in the head — with the love of Jesus of course. LOL
Gotta to head off to work,
Richard