Who am I? Part 1
If you’re not sure what’s going on here, please read this first.
Who am I?
I’m a person who cares about other people. I like to teach and to share what I know. But, more than the teaching, I just find myself thinking about doing stuff for other people. I give money to panhandlers (or have in the past) even though I know I probably shouldn’t. I think I’m a fairly generous person. I’m really only writing this stuff because I don’t think other people actually read this blog. I don’t publicize my giving, I give anonymously, and I want to give more than I do. My grandpa ran a rescue mission in Flint, MI and I think I really learned to be giving from him. We would spend Christmas and Thanksgiving serving food to the homeless. It really got my mind off me and onto other people.
As I’ve grown older, I feel like I’ve become more compassionate and willing to see that some folks need help getting back on their feet. Hand outs are important sometimes. You can provide opportunities to get people out of their bad situation (education/retraining, loans, etc.), but they’ve still got to eat and have a roof over their head. And, until they can provide that for themselves, they need someone else to provide it for them. That’s what following the golden rule is all about; treat others the way you would like to be treated in that situation.
Why this excites me is that I know this is a good trait. People should be less self-focused and more other-focused. I’ve always had a tendency toward depression, and the best way to ward off the “sads” is to focus on someone else. I really need to do more of it than I’m currently doing. My wife does an awesome job of giving of herself (teaching English to refugees, making meals for moms who just had babies, volunteering with World Relief) and I’m going to start doing more of it myself now that I’m done with my MBA. I’d like to find a way to earn enough money to live by doing something that enriches the lives of other people.
