The announcement that 2017 had been designated as the Year of Giving came over the Christmas weekend. That may have been purely a happy coincidence. After all, gifts and giving are among the messages embodied in that festival. At the same time, however, the call is one that should resonate throughout our widely diverse communities, whatever your status, faith or beliefs.
Over the past few days, all sorts of proposals have been put forward as to how the Year of Giving can be marked. That, in itself, is no surprise. Insofar as the UAE, as a country, can be said to have a special ethos of its own, the concept of charity – of giving without the expectation of material reward – is certainly a fundamental element. It can be traced right back to the establishment of the federation in 1971.
One need but recall the extraordinary generosity of the late Sheikh Zayed as he set out to ensure, even before 1971, that the growing oil revenues of Abu Dhabi were used to fund development projects throughout the country and, later, far beyond. That tradition continues, with the UAE being one of the top countries in the world in terms of per-capita contributions to humanitarian assistance and development aid.
I am sure there will be many initiatives over the next 12 months that involve a form of giving, in terms of gifts, in cash or in kind, designed to improve the lives of others. They will come from government bodies, from the private sector and from individuals. Many of us, in one way or another, are likely to be engaged in such activities.
For others, though, that may not be an easy option. It would be a great pity if it were to be thought that the only form of giving was something concrete, something that carried a specific, definable, value. There are other ways of giving, of sharing, that may be less dramatic or attract less attention but, nonetheless, can also have a positive impact on others’ lives.
One such way is through giving up time to act as a volunteer – whether it's for a major humanitarian aid project, or to participate in a school fund-raising event. This form of giving has become increasingly common in the UAE where volunteerism has become almost a buzzword. We can, I hope, expect to see a further promotion of community service initiatives this year.
For some people, though, the constraints upon them can mean that even this kind of giving is hard to maintain regularly.
Yet there are other forms of giving that are open to everyone. It costs nothing, and takes less than a second, to say thank you to someone who provides you with service in a supermarket. It’s an acknowledgement of gratitude, a matter of politeness. Yet I know from the surprised smiles I receive when I do so that many people providing that service are rarely thanked.
A little bit more courtesy on the road – such as giving way to someone, rather than cutting them up – is also a form of giving.
There's a well-known hadith that cites the Prophet Mohammed as saying that “charity is prescribed for each descendant of Adam every day the sun rises” and that “your smile for your brother is charity”.
That shouldn’t be hard for anyone to do.
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE’s history and culture
