A quick look at the Wikipedia page on Philanthropy got me thinking about doing for others. I thought it strange that the examples of philanthropy included people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett (billionaires), but neglected to list good doers like Mother Teresa. One might get the impression that in order to do philanthropic work, one must first be very successful of their own accord. This being far from the case, I thought that it was important to make it understandable that people of all walks of life, all social classes, all races, all religions, from every corner of the world has the ability to do good for humanity, to be a part of something greater than themselves, and to make a real difference.
“But I’m just a college student, what real impression can I make?”
This is the trap that I fell in, and you may be in it too. The problem is that most college students don’t have a lot of money, and don’t hold a very powerful position in any organizations or corporations. They feel as though this limits them, and that until they reach this status there is little that they can do aside from working towards these achievements. This is a sad place to be in. Once you limit yourself, your ability to produce real results becomes null.
“So what am I supposed to do?”
I’m glad you asked. The possibilities are endless. At this stage in your life it is probable that your most useful assets are your mind and your time. With this in mind anything you can do with either or both of these assets that can help those around you, especially the ones who need the most, is a wonderful use of those said assets. If you don’t think you are capable of solving the world’s greatest problems, surely, at least, you are able to donate a few hours of your time to your local hospital, fire department, soup kitchen etc. By why limit yourself to just that. If you are in college chances are you are working towards gaining a high level of intelligence in a certain field. Is there any way that your level of knowledge could be used in a way that is helpful towards others? Is there any special gifts or talents that you have that could lessen pain and suffering in the world (no matter how small)? Can you sing? Can you read? If so you could sing or read to children in your local hospital. Can you paint or draw? Your art could be auctioned or sold for any benefit you deem worthy. Don’t have any real skills? Can you smile? Your smile is the simplest form of charity you could give.
I think my technical knowledge would be wasted, were I not doing something with it to help others, so I am working on a project that will begin to solve two of America’s largest crises among youth: A lack of nutrition and fitness, and a lack of fiscal responsibility. These two problems lead to the most popular problems in adulthood: health related issues and poor finances. My plan is to nip this problem in the bud by starting the education early. I plan to start a (hopefully great) website devoted to teaching our youth the subjects that aren’t being stressed or even addressed in our schools. Just because our government doesn’t think it’s important doesn’t give us the right to stand by and do nothing. And I intend to do something. When? NOW. Not when I get a raise, not when I’m making 6 figures, not when I am a CEO, MD, MBA or anything else like that. I’m gonna do it now.
Not only that, but here is my offer to you. I want to encourage my readers, so I am willing to do anything I can to help you do the philanthropic works you find most important. Anything that I can do (within reason), I would like to do, to lend my support in helping humanity. All I ask is that you do the same for me, and anyone else who is working hard to make a difference.
With this in mind, any reader who is a knowledgeable web designer/developer (design, code, or both), and thinks they could help me tackle a project I’m working on, I’d love to hear from you. I know your time is precious, so I’m not asking for your work; just a couple of emails back and forth that will help me decide how to get this ball rolling. Leave a comment and let me know. Thanks everyone, have a great week.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Great article! I remember when I used to do things for others…I should probably start that up again. Oh, and the phrase is to “nip in the bud”! Tee hee