Where does charity begin?

Abstract

Sir Thomas Browne wrote in the 17th century: But how shall we expect charity towards others, when we are uncharitable to ourselves? Charity begins at home... I don't think he meant that we should help others only after we have taken care of ourselves. I think he was talking about a basic spirit of love and mercy toward self that must be present before we can extend those feelings to others. For he went on to write yet is every man his greatest enemy, and, as it were, his own executioner. What prompted this bit of philosophizing on our part is reaction to a story we carried several weeks ago describing a program now being set up by Southern Illinois University's chemistry department which will bring to the university this September a small number of teaching assistants in chemistry from eastern Europe (C&EN, Feb. 12, page 12). At a salary of $320 a ...