I was reading Michael Wade's blog, Execupundit, again and I was struck by his post about
philanthropists. It told about how several exceedingly wealthy men generously donated their wealth ("
up to "90% of his fortune ($350 million, or tens of billions in today's dollars") in the case of Andrew Carnegie) to create libraries, establish universities and
support the arts.
These are lofty, albeit worthy, causes, and our culture would not be as rich if not for their desire to enrich and give back to the society which had given them so much. I'm sure we have our share of modern-day philanthropists, too. Bill Gates comes immediately to mind...Yet I don't see any reason why the rest of us collectively can't improve our lot too, by sharing what we have to spare.
Aren't there like six billion people in the world? Let's assume only one quarter of us are or ever will be in a position to have enough to give away to someone less fortunate or support a cause. That still leaves a lot of people who could share their own "wealth" whether it is in the form of unused items, money or time.
I know...we all think we have it so bad; money and time are so tight and, after all, you've got to look out for number one first, right? I'm not preaching...I'm just as guilty as anyone of dwelling on what I
don't have, instead of counting my blessings for what I
do.
Here's a story that has haunted me for a while. Several years ago there was a man (possibly homeless, most definitely down on his luck) who about once a week would stop by our house to ask if we would like him to rake the leaves or shovel the snow. He was polite and friendly, nonetheless I always kept the storm door locked and talked to him through it. I always gave him the same answer, "No thank you." One year just before Thanksgiving,
Scott was out of town on a business trip. About 7:00 one evening I was vacuuming the daycare, and I heard a loud rapping on the window. Well, it was November, so it was already dark, and I was home all alone. I turned off the vacuum and I heard a man yelling, "Ma'am, Ma'am!" from outside the window. I wasn't about to answer the door, but I looked out the window and saw the raking/shoveling man out there. He asked me if I had a few dollars to give him so he could get something to eat. Of course I said, "No," and walked away.
I know I did the right thing...to have opened my door to a stranger would have been risky. I thought about it later, though...Our home is comfortable, but it's not the type of house you look at and think, "Wow...the folks who live there have all they need and more! Surely they have money to give me." But that's just
my opinion...maybe to this man, our house
is that type of house. To him I am one of the 'haves'... It gave me a lot to think about that Thanksgiving. At the very least this little incident was a wake up call for me...not only are there underprivileged and oppressed people on the other side of the world, but right here in my own town.
I have no idea how to implement my plan...how to turn this charitable desire into action. I'm taking the first step by adjusting my mindset to think in terms of what and how I can contribute in my own modest way. I'm also going to ponder what it is that I'm passionate about changing, helping or contributing.
I'd like to think that Rockefeller's and Carnegie's real wealth was in generosity of spirit...their desire to do good for the world. We can all afford to have and share that. Maybe if we all set our minds to think in terms of what we can give instead of waiting for the government or those of greater means to improve things, we could actually make this world we share a better place.
