Charity is a virtue but societies that rely on it too heavily risk disaster – Scotsman comment

For many people, whether they are Christians or not, Christmas is a time to be with family, to exchange gifts, eat too much and enjoy the festivities.

Food banks have become a fixture of life for many people in Scotland (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

However, in keeping with Christian teaching, there is also a strong emphasis on thinking about those less fortunate than ourselves. The idea that it is a good thing to help the poorest and most vulnerable is also a concept found in most major world religions.

It is one reason why The Scotsman this year made an appeal in aid of the Trussell Trust, one of the UK’s main networks of food banks, and a vital source of support for people suffering the most amid the cost-of-living crisis. Food banks recorded their busiest ever August and September this year, and an emergency food parcel is currently being handed out once every 13 seconds, on average.

Tomorrow, after its ‘Mission Christmas’ drive raised in excess of £14.1 million, Bauer Media’s charity Cash for Kids will be responsible for delivering presents to more than 286,000 children across the UK who would otherwise have missed out on a visit from Santa. Radio Clyde, a Bauer station, raised enough money to “put smiles on the faces of over 26,000 children”, while Radio Forth did the same for more than 21,000.

Charities are also at the forefront of efforts to help thousands of people in Scotland who are homeless, whether in temporary accommodation, sleeping on a friend’s couch, in a hostel, or, in some cases, in a car or on the streets. New figures obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats found that a total of 43,072 people, including 13,876 children, were without a permanent home last Christmas.

In one of the richest countries in the world, the need for so many people to rely on the charity of others should worry us all, particularly as the cost-of-living crisis means many donors are finding they have to cut back simply to make ends meet.

Charity is a virtue. However, a country that relies on it too heavily risks disaster when unexpectedly large economic shocks arrive. Whatever our political allegiances, we can surely agree that creating a society in which every citizen has a seat at the table, rather than existing on scraps donated by the kind-hearted, should always be one of our highest priorities.