Thoughts About Philanthropy

If you looked up the word "Philanthropy" in Dictionary.com you would find the following definition - "altruistic (unselfish) concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes."  Sounds exactly like what we imagine in our minds when we hear the word.  Philanthropy is typically a respected thing to do and by performing philanthropic things, a person can add another element of themselves to their professional resume.  Resume?  Does the performance of a philanthropic act allow us to advance professionally?  If so, who is the one actually benefiting from the philanthropy?

There are people out there that are true givers.  These people don't even known why there is a word to describe these acts because to them it is a natural act, something that is simply part of their being.  They feel true compassion, from their souls, for the targets of their actions.  To them it is not a sacrifice they make out of their normal routine, not a quota they need to meet to achieve a goal, nor is it something they do to feel like they are helping and contributing to a better good.  It is just who they are.  Take away the feelings, the money, the sense of achievement or any other motivating factor and these people would still be there doing it.

In the much bigger scope of life, and perhaps specifically for humanity, misplaced philanthropy works against nature.  We have all heard the various clichés such as "a chain is only a strong as its weakest link" and "a herd of buffalo will only move as fast as the slowest buffalo".  These types of theories can also apply to the human race.  The process of natural selection can be healthy for a species.  It allows for that species to rid itself of a certain amount of societal burdens.  The species as a whole is made stronger by allowing the weaker elements to be consumed by the process of natural selection.  Is this cruel thinking?  It is natural, it is life.  Life does not care about equality and fairness but does care about balance.  Life does not care about anything or anyone, but it will let you make out of it anything that you are strong enough to.

Today's societies spend a great deal of energy and resources on encouraging and promoting philanthropy.  Some businesses recommend it to their employees with the implication that it will provide professional growth in the company.  Giving is something that comes from the heart and not all people are interested in supporting the same efforts.  In fact a person may be completely against a certain cause.  In some cases well meaning philanthropic efforts only keep the burdens of society in a position to continue to be a burden.  The same is also true for a number of government programs that only "prop up" the weak and non-contributing elements of society.  In either case this allows for there to be fewer resources available for the advancement of those same societies. 

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.

Mystery Journal Page

This was a page believed to be out of a doctors journal that was found blowing down the street.  His name is unknown and the descriptions do not match any local venues, hospitals or individuals.

Earlier tonight I had decided that I wanted to go somewhere where I might be able to see some hot Latin ladies and ended up at a Mexican restaurant on the edge of downtown.  When I walked in there were Mariachis playing and the restaurant had a great ambiance.  Moments later, however, it became obvious to me that there were not any hot Latin ladies at this restaurant and to make things worse, the host was an asshole.  This put me in a really bad mood and caused me to loose my appetite for Mexican food.  Being upset with this jerk at the front door and now feeling a need for some form of vengeance, I thought it would be a good form of expression towards my displeasure if I just ordered a hamburger in a Mexican restaurant. 

The moment I placed my order the entire restaurant fell completely silent.  One of the Mariachis fainted and fell on his horn, which prompted a call to 911.  The manager threatened to throw me out and the other Mariachis demanded that I pay for their compadres horn.  The police showed up and of course it was a pair of Hispanic officers that were on a mission to show the "gringo" a lesson.  Fortunately, I was on call at the emergency room tonight and when my pager activated, I was allowed to escape.  Unfortunately, the reason I was being paged from the emergency room was because that is where the ambulance had taken the Mariachi guy that had fainted and impaled himself on his horn.  The staff was not sure how to approach an incident where there was an embedded horn to be extracted from a mariachi's gut. 

When I arrived there was already a two-foot high pile of little shiny chains and rooster buttons on the floor.  The nurse had a screwdriver trying to pry the Mariachi's cactus belt buckle open, for reasons I am not yet sure about.  We finally got the horn removed from his gut but then discovered that the spot where the horn's mouthpiece was had made his tattoo of the Virgin de Guadalupe look like she had a tongue piercing and was sticking her tongue out.  We called in a local tattoo artist to correct this problem.  The tattoo guy ended up making $5,000 from the family and friends of the Mariachi guy, as well as the emergency room staff.  We all ended up having a good laugh and the Mariachi guy has a hot sister that I hooked up with.  What a night.