Optimally different!

(I feel like this post isn't quite polished yet, but I've been working on it for days and have read, re-read and tweaked it a gajillion times, stressing myself out in the process. I think now it's time for me to go ahead and put it out there, if only so I can go to bed. It's long but it's personal and I think it's important. It's also something I might want to spread further once I've gotten some feedback, so I hope people can take the time to read it)

An old friend of mine is visiting after a couple of weeks at the Occupy Wall Street event. Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that I have... mixed feelings about OWS, but those are for another post. Suffice it to say, my friend and I have been having some very engaging and provocative (but civil) conversations on the subject, and while I have my misgivings about its organization and approach, I agree (of course) that there are some fundamental problems with the way our society interfaces with money, and that I would like to see change. If you have not been reading We Are The 99%, stop reading this, read that, and be upset about it.

It got me thinking a lot about "ok, what can I do?", which leads me to this post.

Before I go on, I need to explain why what I'm going to write about here is kind of uncomfortable for me. This post is, in part, about philanthropy. Specifically, philanthropy in which I'm involved. I believe that acts of charity should be done discretely, and that the act is sullied if one broadcasts one's actions, giving the impression of doing it for reputation rather than to help for helping's sake. In addition, I tend to be very self-conscious around issues involving money generally, and have a lot of my own issues wrapped up in same. For these reasons I've talked to almost no one about a project in which I've been involved for years, but now I wonder if it might be better to be more open about it and my motivations, so this post is a sort of coming out about that project.

For the last three years I've given 10% of my income (less taxes) every month to causes I think/hope are helping to make the world a better place. I do this because I believe that I, along with most in my situation, owe what success I've had in part to the dumb luck of circumstance, that we are all in this together, and that we owe it to one another to do what we can to even the playing field, even if only a little*. I believe the old notion (which I don't expect many on my flist to espouse, but I've been thinking more globally) that the prosperous are so only by virtue of being more ambitious or making better choices is poisonous in its lack of perspective.

I'm not fabulously wealthy, but I make enough to be putting a decent amount into savings each month, and that's enough more than so many equally talented, creative, and wonderful people I know, not to mention millions I don't know, that it bothers me, because I'm aware that it is in part just the flip of a coin that separates my circumstances and theirs.

In part. Have I worked hard? Of course I have, and that's important, and I'm very proud of it. This isn't about devaluing effort and ambition, nor excusing a lack thereof, but acknowledging that what my effort has allowed me to do is make the most of advantages I've had, like parents who had the will and financial ability to help me go to college without incurring boatloads of debt, interests and aptitudes that lend themselves to a field that is both valuable and lucrative, and plain old fortunate timing. If I'd been graduating college with self-taught Linux and coding experience and a degree in philosophy now instead of in the middle of the .com boom, I would probably be screwed-- instead I ended up with an $18/hr internship at Cisco that I got by happening to call the guy who was hiring for it about a room he was renting. These are not things I did, they are things I got, and then worked to make the most of. When I acknowledge this to myself, I conclude that my prosperity is not entirely my own, and feel compelled to give something back, so I started doing this "secular tithe"**.

The reason I'm writing about this now is the realization that maybe a small thing I can do is to be more pubic about this project and the beliefs behind it. I don't want to make it sound like I think I'm the first person to think this way, that I expect this to make everything better, or that it's comparable to being involved in more direct ways, but if enough others do it and say they're doing it, maybe it becomes something: a popular movement to decide to view prosperity, and the attainment of same, differently, to acknowledge that there's not as much difference between us as we've been told, and to choose to distribute prosperity. There's nothing wrong with a comfortable life, but if you are fortunate enough to have excess for savings, consider: would the work you've done to get where you are have yielded the same results if you'd been born to different parents, with a different personality, a less healthy body, a few years later, or a few towns over? What about halfway around the world? And if you swapped places with that hypothetical other you, wouldn't you be better off if whoever inherited your circumstances gave something back? Consider also, what would you lose by committing 10%, or even 5%, of what you make to regular support for charities and activist organizations working toward changes you want to see? I'm single with no kids, supporting only myself, which means this is the perfect time in my life for this project. Giving 10% back means it will take me a bit longer to save up for a house. I can totally deal with that.

If you agree and are one of the fortunate, consider adapting this project for yourself and being a patron of change. If you already do so, say so. Let it be known. Advocate.

If you agree but have more time than money, Charity Navigator has a search feature that can help you find local charities and Idealist.org has similar features for finding activist causes. How much change could be brought about by the energy of things like Occupy $LOCATION being put into focused volunteerism and activism?

If you agree but have neither time nor money in excess, and I know the majority of the people on my flist probably fall into this category, remember this idea if/when things change for you.

If you don't agree, feel free to comment or email. I'm still figuring out how best to articulate and act upon these beliefs, and would welcome discussion.

I know I'm not the only one who thinks this way, and maybe I'm not the only one doing a project like this. Maybe lots of people do it (or would do it if they could) but aren't saying anything, so we all assume it's a strange thing. I would love to find that this idea is not strange, and if it is, I want to work toward a world in which it isn't.

Posted a couple of months ago about people I know who are doing various charitable fundraisers, and since then that number has only grown, so if you're looking for a good cause to throw some goodies at, please consider the following:

how_low_am_i is participating in the Relay For Life

ladysprite and tpau are participating in the Susan G. Komen walk (click either name to donate)

@TeaAddictedGeek is doing the Avon Walk