I feel that I am not a generous man. I know that my friends might not see this. I am generous with my time, my spirit, and with my words. I am not generous with my money. I am not saying I am stingy. If a friend asks me for money, I will do what I can.
I just do not give money to charity or to people I do not know. There is part of me that is not sure about the general effectiveness of charity. If I give money to feel poor families, is that a negative market force? If I send my money to another country, does that give the ruler of that country the chance to not take care of his people?
There is one charity that I give to every Christmas,
The Family Giving Tree. The last two years we have had a Giving Tree at TiVo. You pick tags off the tree and buy gifts for poor children. There is a lot in this world that I am not sympathetic about. The idea of a kid having nothing for Christmas just breaks me up on the inside.
Last weekend I bought gifts for the giving tree. I bought watches for two girls. I like buying watches because I thought watches were cool when I was a kid. I think the watch might be somewhat functional for the kid also. I think giving trees are a worthwhile way for me to share my blessings.
Labels: charity, Christmas, gift, giving tree
