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Lending Hands to someone is better than giving a dole


Our early school moral science taught us help and care for the needy. No matter where we reach or what we earn or how much qualified we get, every normal human soul harnesses the desire to help. Our empathies and sympathies beam whenever we see people suffering. There are many of us who help the poor with old clothes or few bucks or some food. When natural disaster renders people homeless, we together with the NGOs, organize relief camps to help them. Thus, we always try our best to help others. Coming to the point, the topic “lending a helping hand is better than giving a dole” smartly gives a detailed understanding of the impact of our contribution for the needy or suffering community.

Helping is important but what actually matters is its impact. Here is a comparison between helping hand and dole, trying to analyze which is better and in which category the help we forward falls into or should fall. Going by the definition, clothes, money or food we give are doles. These are momentary relief. Dole is a harmful generosity. It is not a solution to their needs or sufferings. A helping hand in terms of innovative ideas will put an end to the turmoil or calamity.

“Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day .Teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime”

This is the most appropriate line to explain why Helping hand is better than giving a dole. We have some examples to illustrate it better. Let us take the example of Indian Reservation System. The system was introduced with a noble motive of providing equal rights to the ignored castes, communities and tribes of the society. Across these decades, this system of giving privileges to the unprivileged sections has been strictly followed. A SC guy with 85% in CAT gets into IIM, rather than his friend in Gen category who secures 95%. This has created frustration and rivalries between these classes, hence the turmoil in the society.

Had government offices and institutes accepted Merit based or Economic status based Reservation rather than Caste Based Reservations, the scenario would have been different. Decades back, if intellectuals would have tried to change the mindset of the society, instilled the sense of brotherhood and dignity instead of this, today India would have been more developed country. The deserved ones rather than reserved ones would have occupied the government offices and good institutions. Country would have not lost treasures through brain drain. Reservation System was no less than a dole.

If we consider the poverty stricken people of the country, the only way to uplift them is free or low cost value based education. Providing few bucks or free food will never be great idea for their prosperity.

Natural calamities are unpredictable but flood in Assam has been an annual occurrence, like the festivals yet this one is a destructive and sad one. It is expected and predictable calamity of the state. In the time of calamity, government funds are poured, people get united to help the affected ones. Although such helps are appreciated yet these are no less than doles. Measures of strengthening the river banks, making necessary water storing reservoirs, etc would have kept a long term effect for this disaster. Well, prevention is always better than cure.

Other than many more examples, one I would consider is donation quota for admission. Is this the right way to mould your child’s future? A value based education system and proper parental guidance would play long lasting effect on a child’s life.

Helping Hand and Dole are two things closely related. One has a long term benefit and the other has short term benefit. For uplifting ourselves and others, it is wise to choose the first one because we dream to make this world a better place, cultivating our goodness for eradicating the chaos and problems in all grounds.

- Niharika Gogoi

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