A little over a week ago my friends and I were playing the new card game ‘ReFlex’, writes Sweeney Preston. Created by Lillian Ahenkan AKA Flex Mami, the game is designed to provoke critical thinking and meaningful conversations between its players. A “self-development and psychology conversation card game” might not be what you first envision when someone invites you to a fun night-in with friends, although that’s entirely the point.
Through considering concepts you might never discuss in your regular day to day, players become fondly attentive to the oddities of those around them. Even in my case, playing with a group of usually echo chamber-bound arts degrees, we were prompted to dissect the nuances of our beliefs.
Among the many questions the game asks its players (each presented on an individual card), one that particularly stood out to me was this: Does everyone have a moral obligation to try and make the world a ‘better’ place?
Well… yes. Of course! Or perhaps… Yes? Yes absolutely.
The confounding thing about a question like this is that there can be many interpretations. What does ‘better’ mean? Is ‘better’ totally subjective to your own culture? In situations like these, I feel it’s always best to simplify the framing to the lowest common denominator. For me, the question was about the notion of both organisational and individual acts of charity. It was referring to charity’s most fundamental goal of reducing pain and suffering within communities, both globally and locally.
This question has particular pertinence to Australians. We are, for the most part, a very well-off country that has experienced a shocker run in 2020.
Encouraging people to make the act of giving a constant in their lives is a difficult challenge, but one I believe as Australians, we are equal to. So, if we are to make sincere progress towards our duty-bound goal of making the world a ‘better’ place, the question we must ask ourselves is this: How do we create a culture of giving in Australia?
Realize that charities fill gaps left by Government.
FULL ARTICLE
How do we create a culture of giving in Australia? (UN Youth Australia)
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