text: what does the word 'charity' signify to you?   charity is the opposite of justice.  hold on... don't thumbs-down me yet!  let me explain...  by definition, charity is 'selfless love'.  it manifests in a number of ways.  most commonly, it is seen in the form of helping other people who need the help.  why would someone do something like that?  because they care about other people - even those they may not know.  it's not about the giver.  it's about the recipient.  justice is about doing exactly what is fair.  the unfortunate had a tough break, but then they ran the same chances that most of us do.  is it fair to give help to someone just because they're unfortunate?  that's like distributing aid randomly.  it's not even vaguely fair.  now i'm not saying that justice is a bad thing nor that charity is a bad thing.  in this regard, i'm much more aristotlean.  if we had a system of strict and unyielding justice, someone who broke into a house to save someone's life would be charged with a crime.  if we had a system of strict and unyielding charity, nobody would be charged with any crime whatsoever.  obviously a balance is much more desirable.  if you love some people selflessly, they will abuse and destroy it.  on the other hand, the right kind of charity can provide returns a hundredfold.  they are both good.  but not exclusively.