Changing the rhyme
What We Owe the Future and how to give it. How to build a better world starting now.
I think we all want to change the world. It’s just often hard to know where to start. It’s a good thing that the world has so many wonderful and smart people who have done a lot of the work for you. There are several organizations I’ve linked below that you can check out that will help you maximize your positive impact on the world.
Link number one is a TedTalk given by philosopher and Princeton professor, Peter Singer. I first came across Singer in high school while prepping for a debate. I was coming up with a way to defend vegetarianism as a morally just thing to do and pulled many facts and quotes from an essay Singer had written on the benefits of vegetarianism and animal welfare. He is so wonderful at simplifying complex concepts. He will make you really question everything you believe. In his talk he discusses effective altruism and how best to practice it to help as many people as you can. Not just because you can, but because it is your moral duty to do so. I’m less concerned with the duty part. I just want to help and I think you do too. Whether or not you’re supposed to. I think more often than not, we want to.
There are many ways to help people and the organizations he discusses are all wonderful ones to check out. I’ve linked them below the link to his TedTalk.
Just a trigger warning his talk starts off with an upsetting topic. I think it is uncomfortable but worth watching to get the full impact of what Singer is trying to relay.
I will also link to his website where you can download his book or listen to it for free. The audio version is narrated by Singer, Stephen Fry, Kristen Bell and more. It’s a great stepping off point to help you on your journey into figuring out where you want to aim your energy and resources.
I’m also linking to 80000 Hours’ website. They are a team of people dedicated to helping others find careers in fields that will help the world the most. You might just have skills needed in the most pressing areas. Or if you don’t yet, you may figure out the skills you need to gather to be more effective at your goals of helping the world.
I’ve signed up for their newsletter and am looking forward to listening to their podcast and reviewing the guide to see if I can implement what I learn into a way of life. I will follow up on this next month to see if there’s been progress made.
Givewell is also linked below and it’s another fantastic resource for giving money to the most effective charities and causes around the world.Givewell and Giving What We Can have calculators on their sites to help you figure out what you could commit to donating. It can be monthly or annually or just once. It’s really up to you how much you help out. But honestly, you can make it part of your lifestyle to give.
I will be laying out my own process below. I want to explain my personal game plan for implementing what I’ve learned. Perhaps this will give you a jumping off point for coming up with your own way of giving and helping.
Why I give: I want the world to be better. I want people to be better able to achieve their potential. I don’t want people to suffer needlessly. Many illnesses and suffering are actually curable. Many people helped me and it changed my life. I received a full ride scholarship to college and living debt free is such a source of dignity. I want everyone to get closer to that feeling. And giving feels really good. It’s satisfying. It helps break the consumerist cycle of drudgery for me. Buying a new iPhone for $1000 with one more camera isn’t going to radically change my life. But that same $1000 dollars can restore the eyesight of 20 people in developing nations. That’s powerful. When you start seeing how far your money can go.
Who I give to: In the past, I’ve donated to the Girl in Yellow - a UW run charity for educating girls in rural parts of India. I have given to Planned Parenthood because they provided affordable healthcare to me throughout college. And because they help women have autonomy over their own bodies. I’ve donated to a few political races and I also give to United Sikhs and the Sikh Coalition because they provide pro bono legal help for civil rights cases all across the world for people in need and provide disaster relief and free food. My friend Jesse also cooked hot meals for homeless people in his neighborhood during the pandemic and I donated to him too. This year, I made a sizable donation to Tostan, a non-profit in Senegal that helps an entire community lift itself out of poverty by simply providing them with resources and letting them lead. Give women education and money and see the world change for the better.
This year I decided to give 2.5% of my annual projected income to charity. The total was $1075. Not much but it’s something. I have given $750 so far to Tostan, United Sikhs and the Sikh Coalition. I have $325 left. I am trying to figure out how to make this remaining money go far in its impact and also to have a tangible effect at home as well as abroad.
Money tends to go farther in India or Africa, but I know so many people are suffering all around Seattle. My real goal would be to have a free crowdsourced meal service. Like a pop up at the market with a canopy where we cook hot meals for people for free. Like good food. Food people would want to pay for. Anyone could come. If you can pay, leave a tip, if not, it’s okay, just take the food. But that will take planning and time. Maybe in the future.
I’ve looked through the charities at Givingwell and these five are the ones I’ve chosen to give to:
Seva - An organization devoted to serving the underprivileged with medical and eye care. They prevent many people from going blind from vitamin deficiencies and cataract surgeries. You can give someone’s sight back for as little as $30 dollars.
Fistula Foundation - When I found out what a fistula was, I knew I needed to stop them from ruining people’s lives. They are preventable but often don’t get priority. They occur when women have traumatic labor and become incontinent due to tissue damage. You can help restore someone’s dignity and way of life today.
GiveDirectly - This group gives cash, no strings attached, to needy families all over the world. I believe in letting people decide what they need.
Carbon180 - Because climate change is disastrous. I’m sick of it being 75 degrees in October and breathing in toxic smoke.
Evidence Action - This group helps impoverished communities with deworming and clean water.
(Next year - I will be giving to Animal charities. I will research and give a break down of next year’s funds in a few months.)
I will be donating $35 to each for a total of $175. As for the remaining $150, $50 of it I will convert to cash. I want to have some singles so when people on the street ask for money, I will be able to just give them some instead of avoiding eye contact and walking by callously. For a few people, that will matter and I won’t have to ignore a plea for help.
With the remaining $100, I will be purchasing hygiene products for women in need in Seattle and Everett. I will spend about $35-50 on that. The Redmond Farmers Market is having a donation drive and I will give to them.
With whatever is left over, about $50-$75 or so, I will buy brown bags and fill them with protein bars, fruit, and other snacks that last a long time. I will make little goody bags that I can hand out to hungry people on the street when they ask. I will keep them in my car so I’m less likely to get caught empty handed.
One day I would like to raise enough money to help homeless people get their laundry done. I think if I was homeless, that would make me feel good, to have warm clean clothes to wear. Just the dignity of being clean.
I have bigger plans and I will figure out how to get involved with other organizations that are already doing things like that. I want to spend my time helping and engaging with the community a little too. But I’m happy to let my money do some heavy lifting for now.
How I Chose How Much to Give: The calculator here: https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/take-the-pledge/
This told me what 1% of my income was and that’s all they recommended I give. But I know I didn’t give as much last year so I increased it to 2.5%. I decided that I would give up a few things this year so I could give more. And honestly, it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice. Once I knew how much I would be giving, it felt like it was already someone else’s money. It was like setting aside a vacation fund. You know you are only using that money for a specific cause.
I will cut back on a few things to keep saving at my normal rate. I normally get my hair cut and colored twice a year. I only did it once this year and will save the next cut until next year. I’ve also decided not to buy any more bottled beverages or junk foods and cook at home for the rest of the year.
Honestly, because I save money on rent by being a house-sitter, I have a little more flexibility than the average person earning my income. And I don’t have children. I know it’s not easy for everyone to give this much. But I know we can all give a little to make a huge difference.
And some of you might be able to give even more!
Most religions of the world require their practitioners to donate up to 10% of their annual earnings to those in need. You don’t have to do that, but do what you can. Save the life you can.
Why Give to Far Away Causes?: Your money will not only go farther there, but by providing those people with a better quality of life and educating them, you will reduce the fertility rate. As communities become more prosperous and women get more education and opportunity and infant mortality decreases, people have fewer kids. This is better for the world at large. Plus it means less greenhouse gas emissions.
You can still give to charities here too.
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