Donation

 

With the continuing list of disasters and continuous films of wreckage and people suffering, makes one want to help. Some say that is our empathic side.

We hope that neighbors will rush to our assistance when times get tough, whether we beg for it or not. Whether it be a wild fire or a hurricane or someone running around with a gun shooting people, property is destroyed and people are injured. Then there are the animals.

There are those who are trained and wear reflective vest to rush in with medical care to drag the bodies to be counted. There are professionals with heavy machinery to dig through the ruble to make paths for emergency vehicles. There are those who will set up soup kitchens and hand out blankets and many who will give a hug and listen to your woe.

Who pays for it?

It depends on how much help you want to lend.

Many of the emergency rescue personnel are neighbors who are also in a bind. When the fires are extinguished and the roads are cleared, people are people and go back to take care of their families.

Is this where the government is supposed to step in?

Away from the physical disaster but feeling the will to help, we throw money at it. Sending a check or a PayPal or a bitcoin to an online fund raiser page or an email request, you feel you have shown your compassion, whether it purchased a truck full of beans and blankets or some hacker’s new Cadillac.

You read of those celebrities you normally watch on the red carpet or ‘Lives of the Rich and Famous’ promising a gigantic number of greenbacks that might persuade you to follow while building their reputation of being charitable. Then another celebrity will organize a festival where musicians can play (for free?) but the audience must pay for tickets and purchase merch leaving with empty pockets and a warm feeling.

Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material gain; and with government endeavors that are public initiatives for public good, such as those that focus on the provision of public services.

Everyone has a passion and will pull from their budget funds to feed their passion. It may be lost animals or starving children or some noble cause like equality or scientist theory or some political wrangling of keeping schools from teaching about diversity but mandatory religion.

Speaking of faith, don’t forget to place you tithe in the passing plate as a donation to heaven.

The budget may cover shelter, food, clothing, transportation necessary to survive daily chores with all the leftover greenbacks available to suit your pleasure. You can buy fancy cars or designer fashion to impress. You can buy yachts or mansions to throw lavish parties.

Each of us must decide how to spend our money and there are plenty of people willing to take it from us. You are supposable responsible for donating to your offspring since you brought them into this world until a point in time when they must be responsible for themselves. How much you spend on them is up to you.

Today there are plenty of ‘go-fund-me’ or ‘Kickstarter’ pleas for donations that may turn into financial investments or robbery. You can donate to the medical industry in hopes of finding the magic cure. You can donate to your favorite political candidate to influence legislation or win a possible post in government. You can donate to the arts and music to display your cultural knowledge.

Then the money runs out.