Give moral support
As individuals, we go through material and psychological burdens, but the costs are often outweighed by the material and mental benefits of support provision. Moral and material support are two essential tools that help cope with stress/mental and our material needs. It’s easy to compare both of these two forms of support and conclude that material support is more critical and does more good than moral support. But on a closer look, moral support can be just as good as material support.
Difference between material and moral support
Material and moral support are two opposites. Material support is a tangible and direct form of support, whereas moral support is intangible and indirect support.
Giving material support involves providing tangible aid and service. It simply takes care of our physical needs and at the same time, can relieve one of stress and some mental burden. Moral support offers no physical assistance. It does not provide relief from physical difficulties. Instead, it seeks to ease our psychological burden. When comparing moral and material support, one should know that there are different types of support, and each need of a person requires a specific kind of support.
Material and moral support feeds different aspects of our social lives – if you give moral support, you will be giving a helping hand just as material support would, but instead of catering to the person’s physical needs (which also impacts their mental and psychological health), it will cater directly to their mental and psychological health.
Material and moral support are both a necessity. Based on the situation, your friend, family member, colleague, or acquaintance, you might offer support in the form of a providing place to stay, giving financial assistance, doing shopping and errands, and more whatever physical service you provide creates a feeling of security and will be a stabilizing factor in the midst of a hardship. Moral support does not provide this physical assistance, but the knowledge of knowing that someone is there supporting and motivating you creates a deep sense of security.
Material support can be helpful in the short-term, but the feelings of worthiness and acceptance you receive when someone gives you moral support by choosing to support and stand with you in a situation will last a lifetime. Though it’s easier to label material support a form of generosity, moral support can be seen as a form of generosity – and your generosities communicate that you care.
One of the most important gifts we can receive from as social beings is moral support. On a quick glance, one may think giving material support costs more. But such ideas or thoughts only consider the physical expenses involved when giving material support. Giving moral support requires some mental strength, a deep conviction that you believe in the actions, works, or principles a person or group undertakes. And this comes with its own costs – costs in the form of burnout, stress, emotional exhaustion, and sometimes mental or psychological distress. These costs may not be physical, but it does impede the most important aspects of our individual lives, which is necessary for us to function properly in our individual lives.
It can be easy to try and compare moral and material support, as well as give opinions on which is better and has a greater effect, but doing so will be unhelpful as it places one above the other. Moral support can be as good as material support, as it caters to the aspects of our lives material where material support cannot be of help.