I chose to help people in long term.
By universe2o6
@universe2o6 (356)
Brazil
February 15, 2012 9:08am CST
You don't have to give up buying what you want to help others. You don't have the right to criticize anybody about anything if you don't have a plan. You have to organize yourself and think "What can I do?". I recentley bought and iPhone 4S. My friend came up to me and told me: "Wow, you bought and iPhone and there are kids starving in the favela right next to us." I told him this. "My friend, every month I take $50 and put it in an investment plan. That is what I can give up at this moment. I will leave this money for some years, continuing to contribute with whatever I can. When this money has tripled or quadrupled it's original value, I will take this money and open an institution or help an institution in my city. So tell me, what are you doing to help?"
2 responses
@maezee (41988)
• United States
15 Feb 12
That's an amazing plan you have!!! It's not right for your friend to be hard on you. What is HE doing to help others, I wonder? We can't spend all of our money on helping other people; all of our paychecks and more wouldn't be enough to help all the starving, poverish, disease-ridden homeless people in the world. But your idea is great. I mean think about it, if everyone in the world donated $50 a month to a worthy cause, what better of a world we'd be living in! I heard a quote somewhere, and I'm sure I'm butchering it - but it went something like "Just because you can't give everything, doesn't mean you should give nothing" - and I really liked that. I started getting involved in a NON-profit organization helping the homeless in the downtown area of my state (US)'s capital. It's fulfilling. I collect donations, wash them, buy some of them, provide food, munchies, etc... It makes me feel good about myself and is also helping out people in need. It's a win-win situation. I can't imagine living without having the kind of compassion that people like us do!!!
1 person likes this
@universe2o6 (356)
• Brazil
15 Feb 12
"Just because you can't give everything, doesn't mean you should give nothing." That is a great frase and I'll be sure as to pass it on! Thanks!
@magtibaygom (4858)
• Philippines
25 Feb 12
You can also help others for the long term by educating them on how to help themselves succeed. You know, there's a saying from a Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Now, instead of giving on them for the short term, when you empower those poor people how to help themselves by educating them and providing them livelihood programs to depend on to, then you just helped them learn how to fish. 
