The balance of giving.

My friend shared this podcast about Peter Singer, who expressed the importance of doing “something significant to help people who, through no fault of their own, are in great need and who are in danger of dying or whose children are in danger of dying because of things that we could provide for them.”

I was so impressed that he could give a big part of his salary to charity. Will it be feasible for us? Often, it feels like a chase to emulate these outstanding people in our society. But when we don’t have the resources to do so, we are left only with disappointment.

My friend and I thought about how we could support less fortunate people in our current situation. We work overtime nearly every day, we take care of ourselves, and we pay our bills. At the end of the month, not much is left in terms of time and money. Any leftover money often goes toward emergency funds in case we lose our jobs, or as a retirement allowance.

So how is it possible to reach a good balance between what we need, and what we can give?

My thought is not to emulate these outstanding people, but instead to find ways to give within our means and with our own timing. Society gives us examples of the many things that can be achieved in our little reality thanks to people who already followed that path, we just need to better look for a motivational objective, and make ours the path to achieve it.