This summer there was a show called “The Philanthropist” that aired six or seven episodes. The premise was that a billionaire looses his son and on a business trip to Africa he ends up saving the life of a little boy about the age his son was and it inspires him to a kind of ultra philanthropy of risking his life and using his money to make positive things happen in the world. There’s more to it than that, but my point is not to give a review of the show, but rather to ponder the motivations for why we do things for others.
It might be nice to have the financial resources to bring medicines to help cure or vaccinate an entire country, or to have the kind of influence to open a border so that food and water can get from one village to another, but just because most of us can’t do those things doesn’t mean we can’t do good. So, what makes us give of our selves, our time, our energy, our passions, our hearts and every other resource at our disposal to do good for others?
Ultimately for the average person it comes down to believing in the possibility of a better world and being willing to do something about it. It also comes down to believing in yourself enough to see that you, yes you, can make that difference or at least be a part of it.
We tend to see philanthropy as what only the rich can do, but the reality is that we all must be philanthropists. The word itself means, “love of humankind.” We all need to care enough about humanity to fight for it. We have to be willing to stand up when rights are being taken, when people are starving, when injustice occurs. If we love humanity enough and believe in ourselves enough, the world can be better, the world will be better.
Tripping the Light Fantastic 