DailyGood: An Experiment in Generosity

Our very lives depend on the ethics of strangers, and most of us are always strangers to other people. --Bill Moyers Inspiration of the Day: Sally Anderson had 500 dollars to give away. How and where to give it? As she writes, "My husband suggested Goodwill. He said, 'Why not give some money to a family? It should be easy.' So we stopped at Goodwill. I saw a young man buying T-shirts and said, 'I'm part of a generosity project. I'd like to give you $20.' He said, 'Wow, thanks, that's great! Are there more people like you out there?' I was feeling very successful, so as I passed by a man, woman and child with a cart looking like they were going to do some serious shopping, I offered again, much as I had with the young man. this man looked horrified, said, 'No!' and walked away. There I was again with that awful feeling of embarrassment and awkwardness. I went over to where my husband was looking for jeans and said, 'Why do I feel like crying?' He shook his head and shrugged, 'Look, I'm not even gutsy enough to try it. Don't ask me.'" [ more ] Be The Change: Try giving a stranger a few dollars. It's a real-life adventure and you don't even need a plane ticket. Share A Reflection! tell a friend | archives | unsubscribe a service of CharityFocus 108475 subscribers Rate: