a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment
mk  ·  4671 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Question for Hubski: Why do people give? Why do you?
You might also want to ask: When do you give? IMO there's an important gap between the motivation to give and the actual giving that you might want to consider.

I probably most often give to people on the street. I do it because they are obviously in a worse state, and I can help them out. I don't care if they want booze or food, or whatever. I don't like to see people suffer, and even if my $1 won't save them, it tells them that I do see them, and that their plight is real to me. There might be guilt at play, but I don't see that necessarily as a bad thing. However, I usually don't like to give to people on the street with a story of why I should give. It's hard to trust those stories, and I don't like to be lied to. I guess I give to people on the street as an easy act of kindness and acknowledgement.

I also give to public radio because I listen to it a lot. I want them to have resources. Oh, and I give to some organisations when kids come to my door.

When do I give? I give when it is easy to do so. If I were to give a lot, I would probably be willing to put more time and effort into it. But, when giving a little, it really really helps if it is easy. We eat McDonalds about once a year, but I always drop my change in the McDonald House box. It's so easy, and I've only heard good things about them. I don't care if no one notices me when I give small amounts. It's more of an internal decision.