How I'm Trying To Be A Philanthropist

“The life of the individual only has meaning insofar as it aids in making the life of every living thing nobler and more beautiful ”, said Albert Einstein. In trying to be a philanthropist, you must be empathetic and have a deep concern for humankind. It is by definition a person who works for the well-being of humankind, often through charitable aid or donations. It sounds like almost anyone could accomplish this. However, I believe one must take an active role in such a practice. One usually like me has been brought to a breaking point. My frustration with our economic and social repression has made me decide to be more conscious and more involved in such matters as the environment, politics, and social equality. These are the matters in which I have chosen for how I will try be a philanthropist.

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day", said E.B. White .When Hurricane Gustav came ashore, I looked the internet over for local food collections. I like most people have unopened, nonperishable food items that would better benefit someone else than the mice that would eventually feast. I couldn’t afford to send money and that was all the organizations seemed to want. A news story about a local puppy mill prompted me to gather the goods they requested like newspapers and old towels.

I try to get people involved in fundraisers and charitable events. However, time and money are not things people have much of to give away these days. I asked a friend of mine to join me in a walk that benefited those who suffer from heart disease. That was foolish. He doesn’t want to walk his dog in the evening so I don’t know why I thought he’d be excited about walking for a good cause at eight o’ clock in the morning.

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we can’t eat money”, says an ancient Cree proverb. I’ve always hated wasting things. I am trying to go green as much as I can. Recycling is very inconvenient for those of us living outside city limits and transporting the goods myself increases the size of my carbon footprint. I do hope going green is not just a trend. People always say to start at home. But, I always say start in your own neighborhood, as it is much easier to preach than to practice what you preach. However, this sort of confrontation can be difficult. Such philanthropy and a green attitude can offend some people. Green may go down for replacing red as the color of anger instead of being the color of envy.

“While we live, let us live”, said Lawrence. Human rights are fundamental to me. I recently joined and donated money to the Human Rights Campaign. This is an organization that promotes equality through education, encouraging positive images of minorities in the media, and frequently insisting fair treatment from our lawmakers. I have always been quite liberal and I think many changes in our country need to take place.

In what should seem like a liberating experience while trying to be a philanthropist and a better citizen of the planet, there are struggles. It is very difficult as an average citizen in today’s economy with limited funds, time, and resources to be pragmatic. I worry about alienating friends and family by persistently requesting donations and activism from them. I’m sure they all think I’m just a tree-hugging, green, millennial hippie. I also run the risk of remaining in a state of anger over the state of today’s world. I hope that you, me, and the rest of the world can make the necessary changes in our lives to try to be more caring, more aware, and more involved. Anyone who tries to accomplish this deserves to be called such a lofty title as philanthropist. “All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make our world”, so are the words of Buddha.