Charity begins at home

When the deadly typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan, it's force not only took hundreds of lives but also wiped out the livelihood of hundreds of thousands, especially villagers, farmers, and fishermen.

In my wildest dream, it never occurred to me that one of my very own would completely loss his way of living; that one of my younger brothers would not be able to continue his business raising fishes in his fish farms. The damage was so severe that it's beyond repair.

I felt a pang of concern when I leaned about it. What' would happen to his college-bound daughter? Would she need to drop her inspiration of a good college education? How about his two younger children? Would they end up growing up so fast as the result of the family misfortune thus innocents lost?

How could I not help my own sibling in disaster and my own nephew and nieces while I am living in the world's richest country, having a professional job with a respectable income? I couldn't look the other way, I had to do something to help him. Fortunately, my other brothers responded to my call that we ought to help him rebuild his business, and my sister agreed with me that we ought to support our college-bound niece in her college education.

As I am anxious to see that my bother gets back on his feet as fast as he can, a slow process that tests my patience, I feel guilty to spend in this holiday season on a HDTV and a media console, a replacement of my 23-year old Sony that quited on me in August. How can I splurge thousands on entertainment while my own brother is still struggling? I can't allow myself to do so.

"Charity begins at home, but it shouldn't end there". But one ought to help one's own family before one helps other people, that's what family is for. Everyday, I pray to God that my brother can rise beyond his misfortune and stand on his ground again.