For the cost of an iPhone app
I have a colleague who often travels on her own expenses to rural areas in Taiwan and other countries to do volunteering work such as building schools for the local communities. I am also aware of several friends who financially adopt less fortunate children in China and Africa through the World Vision organization. I am not one of these people. I seldom participate in volunteering programs and I did not regularly sponsor any charitable organizations in the past.
I think I have reach a stage in my life that the urgency to live happily and meaningfully is beginning to grow. And when I asked myself today, if I could have all the resources I wanted, what I would like to achieve, my answer was:
1) To help make the world a better place by lending a helping hand to those who are less fortunate. Especially those who are less fortunate in the sense that they are sick, disabled, or living in poverty.
2) To help preserve the beauty of the world by supporting the causes of saving endangered animals and preserving the natural habitats. Doing so also means saving the environment and, eventually, ourselves.
I believe the above goals are shared by the majority of the world's population living in developed countries today. I am being extremely late in recognizing them explicitly. I also recognize that there many other causes that are equally important and universal in the world today. So there is absolutely no intention of bragging here.
The first baby step that I decided to take to support the above goals (you will soon see that it is a really tiny step, but I believe it will enrich my life nevertheless) is to identify a non-profit organization that relate to these goals. After a search and comparison on Charity Navigator Rating, I identified two international organizations that align with my thinking: the World Resources Institute and The Hunger Project. Since I have a very limited income surplus (boss: I hope you are reading this), I decided to start sponsoring The Hunger Project first. I think it is heart breaking to see starving children, and I believe in educating and empowering the local communities to solve poverty problems at their cores. I am starting with an extremely humble amount a month, not much more than the cost of a good iPhone app.
The miserable amount that I contributing today is somewhat shameful, but I am sharing the story with you nevertheless. The point is I don't need to have all the resources in the world to support my goals. I personally believe this is a meaningful baby step, and also a great start for the new year for me.
I think I have reach a stage in my life that the urgency to live happily and meaningfully is beginning to grow. And when I asked myself today, if I could have all the resources I wanted, what I would like to achieve, my answer was:
1) To help make the world a better place by lending a helping hand to those who are less fortunate. Especially those who are less fortunate in the sense that they are sick, disabled, or living in poverty.
2) To help preserve the beauty of the world by supporting the causes of saving endangered animals and preserving the natural habitats. Doing so also means saving the environment and, eventually, ourselves.
I believe the above goals are shared by the majority of the world's population living in developed countries today. I am being extremely late in recognizing them explicitly. I also recognize that there many other causes that are equally important and universal in the world today. So there is absolutely no intention of bragging here.
The first baby step that I decided to take to support the above goals (you will soon see that it is a really tiny step, but I believe it will enrich my life nevertheless) is to identify a non-profit organization that relate to these goals. After a search and comparison on Charity Navigator Rating, I identified two international organizations that align with my thinking: the World Resources Institute and The Hunger Project. Since I have a very limited income surplus (boss: I hope you are reading this), I decided to start sponsoring The Hunger Project first. I think it is heart breaking to see starving children, and I believe in educating and empowering the local communities to solve poverty problems at their cores. I am starting with an extremely humble amount a month, not much more than the cost of a good iPhone app.
The miserable amount that I contributing today is somewhat shameful, but I am sharing the story with you nevertheless. The point is I don't need to have all the resources in the world to support my goals. I personally believe this is a meaningful baby step, and also a great start for the new year for me.
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