In every case, when we construct a shared identity by erecting a social boundary, the inclusion implies exclusion. Someone must be put outside the circle; that is what gives the identity meaning. As such, who we are becomes defined by who we are not.
The boundary also creates an enclosure within which peace and cooperation can reign. If we lose the safety of such walls, we risk a return to the atomized chaos of each of us against all others.
.. As someone explained to me, if you are homeless in our city and need food, you can find it. If you need a blanket or clothes or healthcare, you can find them. But if you want an opportunity to serve others or to develop your leadership, well, that is hard to find.
The Trader Who Donates Half His Pay
Wage told me that he plans to remain in finance and donate half his income. One of the major charities Wage gives to is the Against Malaria Foundation, which, by one analyst’s calculation, can save a child’s life on average for each $3,340 donated. All this suggests that Wage may save more lives with his donations than if he had become an aid worker.
Dan Pallotta: The way we think about charity is dead wrong
Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend — not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big expenses). In this bold talk, he says: Let’s change the way we think about changing the world.
Startling Adult Friendships
Somebody recently asked me what I would do if I had $500 million to give away. My first thought was that I’d become a moderate version of the Koch brothers. I’d pay for independent candidates to run against Democratic or Republican members of Congress who veered too far into their party’s fever swamps.
But then I realized that if I really had that money, I’d want to affect a smaller number of people in a more personal and profound way. The big, established charities are already fighting disease and poverty as best they can, so in search of new directions I thought, oddly, of friendship.
.. So, in the fantasy world in which I have $500 million, I’d try to set up places that would cultivate friendships. I know a lot of people who have been involved in fellowship programs. They made friends that ended up utterly transforming their lives. I’d try to take those sorts of networking programs and make them less career oriented and more profound.