Loving kindness

[fuelair]

It's a big jump from caring more about people of your tribe than people of another to wantonly destroying/hurting people of another so I think Nazi is a really big stretch here - though the repetition of his belief over and over is getting a bit much - just think it is early for Godwin.

 

[fuelair]

That's a very interesting question. I looked at my budget for the month and gave what I could without really hurting myself, aside from not buying more new clothes I need. But I didn't really deprive myself. So am I being selfish or am I being reasonable?

Reasonable -there are a lot of people donating - hopefully and likely enough that each agency receiving aid funds will have more than they can use immediately - because this is big and will pull those funds in. That gives them a cushion for their normal, less obvious, but just as important work in calmer, less desperate (for most of us) times ahead

If we each help rationally, stuff gets done that needs to be done and most of us stay stable.

 

[Ivor the Engineer]

Reasonable -there are a lot of people donating - hopefully and likely enough that each agency receiving aid funds will have more than they can use immediately - because this is big and will pull those funds in. That gives them a cushion for their normal, less obvious, but just as important work in calmer, less desperate (for most of us) times ahead

If we each help rationally, stuff gets done that needs to be done and most of us stay stable.

If the situation is such that money is not the limiting factor then that certainly would be a reasonable justification for not giving all of what you can afford.

But what if we expand the people in need of help to not just those in Hiati, but to all of the people in similar dire situations in countries around the world? I think it would be fair to say money is one of the limiting factors in what can be done to help such people.

So, why is my expensive holiday in September worth the lives of several children being born HIV+ in Africa?

 

[Magyar]

Interesting topic. I was thinking about this as well though from a different angle.
the other day cnn was full of "NBA Haitian player Dalembert donates $100K" and NBL and NFL will donate a $million.

My first reaction - perhaps due to the artificial hype that was so apparent - was SO WHAT?
A quick google showed that Dalembert is making just under $12 million for the 2009/10 season and is scheduled to make about a million MORE than that next year. Now I didn't bother to google what he made the year before but I assumed given these numbers that it was NOT minimum wage.

Likewise the NBL and NFL probably make about a $million dollars per day in profit.
Now that said, none of these people HAVE to give a red cent, but I really questioned the motivation - and again I might just be responding to the attitude of the news channels more than the people.

But given the kind of money this person makes and these organization make the money they are giving is tantamount to the $5, $10 that millions of people have. yet the attitude seems to be that that is expected from all of us, but this was something special from them.


Another thing that I notice VERY frequently is the attitude people display about disasters in other places vs locally. People will have no second thought about giving money to Haiti but will walk by a homeless person without a second look or thought of giving the person a $1 or buying them a cup of coffee in the middle of winter.

I've watched this on more than one occasion while working/taking a break downtown Boston.

 

[Eyeron]

Well, probably because we can't know if the homeless person will spend the money on actual food or attempt to improve himself or not and instead somehow spend it on something like drugs or alcohol. I've also heard that there is actually an organization that trains people to look like beggars to get money from people that goes right into their own hands. But I don't know how true that claim is, so a person who gives to a homeless person doesn't really know where their money is going, but they do know where it goes with a disaster like Haiti earthquake and there's far more certainty that it will help people.

But as for me, I don't understand the claim of "If you have more money than anyone else you're obligated (or your duty) to spend it on the people who don't have that kind of money. I don't understand why people should be limited from making more money as long as it is done in an ethical and legitimate fashion. They earned that money fair and square, it's their choice on how they want to spend it. It's just people being envious of that person who has more money and stuff than other people. The Bible calls that coveting.

 

[fuelair]

If the situation is such that money is not the limiting factor then that certainly would be a reasonable justification for not giving all of what you can afford.

But what if we expand the people in need of help to not just those in Hiati, but to all of the people in similar dire situations in countries around the world? I think it would be fair to say money is one of the limiting factors in what can be done to help such people.

So, why is my expensive holiday in September worth the lives of several children being born HIV+ in Africa?

Your choice there - are you sure your funds would go specifically to that?
There is a point where giving affects your life for the less good -bad idea to go past that point unless you are, shall we say, excessively religious. Balances must be struck in all things - and who am I to tell anyone else to help others. Ask, of course, suggest, sure - but not to order or to condemn those who choose otherwise.

 

[fuelair]

With absolutely no offense, did you buy one a cup of coffee or hand them a dollar? If so, wonderful, if not, fine - just don't complain about others not doing so either. Giving is a choice, not a requirement. (ETA: response without quoting to Magyar - not requiring a response!!)

 

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

With absolutely no offense, did you buy one a cup of coffee or hand them a dollar? If so, wonderful, if not, fine - just don't complain about others not doing so either. Giving is a choice, not a requirement. (ETA: response without quoting to Magyar - not requiring a response!!)

You mean a homeless person? Oh occasion I do give them money, yes. On a few occasions I did give them a cup of coffee or tea from my hands to theirs (usually when I had gotten a free coffee or a coupon for free coffee and thought it would be better to share).

Sometimes they were grateful. Sometimes they were pretty much indifferent.

On one such occasion, get this, the guy wouldn't take the coffee and still hit me up for a dollar! Shook his cup at me and all that.

If you mean donating to Haiti, I did text 90999 to send 10 dollars there. And I'm planning to donate blood to the Red Cross this week, though I'm not sure what they will use it for.

 

[fuelair]

You mean a homeless person? Oh occasion I do give them money, yes. On a few occasions I did give them a cup of coffee or tea from my hands to theirs (usually when I had gotten a free coffee or a coupon for free coffee and thought it would be better to share).

Sometimes they were grateful. Sometimes they were pretty much indifferent.

On one such occasion, get this, the guy wouldn't take the coffee and still hit me up for a dollar! Shook his cup at me and all that.

If you mean donating to Haiti, I did text 90999 to send 10 dollars there. And I'm planning to donate blood to the Red Cross this week, though I'm not sure what they will use it for.

Sounds a lot like my experiences similarly. The most interesting (and I was not trying to be mean - I assume people are telling the truth until they prove otherwise) was a guy who said he had no money and his car had a flat - could he have $5.00 to get a can of (forgot name, but sealant/compressed air) for his car so he could use it. I said, "I can handle that!", got out of my car (van type), pulled open the back door reached down and pulled out a can from my emergency kit. Handed it to him. He looked at it, at me, at it, back at me, mumbled "Uh, thanks," and headed away. I hope he used it for good!!