"Last year, one of my friends asked pairs of strangers in a bookstore to pick out their favorite books, which he then purchased so they could exchange them. My brother gave his hundred to a friend so he could make the most "tricked out guitar pedal in history." My mom threw change in elementary school playgrounds and gave waitresses giant tips. Another friend bought dessert for strangers. Lots of folks gave homeless people sandwiches, flowers, and plain old cash. But more than their actions, it was my friends' stories of searching for what to do that moved me the most. For weeks, they grappled with ethical questions in an urgent, not theoretical, way: How do we act on our interconnectedness? What is the most effective way to give? Who deserves our generosity?"AmericanProspect: Oprah's Stale Definition of Charity by Courtney E. Martin, April 11, 2008
Art: My happy baby - family portrait, not dated, Zeng Ling Xin
Categories:
