The Cynic

You may have heard of "The Giving Pledge."

It is the scheme of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet to prod the "wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit the majority of their wealth to philanthropy."

The idea is to get these wealthy people to make the commitment publicly and explain their rationale for doing so in a letter.

(Aside: All of the letters can be downloaded in one simple, big download and it makes for an excellent read.)

Quite the amazing concept, huh? Well, not so fast. Out come the cynics. For example, some readers of the Weekly Standard  attacked the pledge as “grandstanding”, a “publicity stunt”, or “the work of socialists”. The German publication Spiegel has also documented the strong objections of a group of German millionaires.

These objections to this transcendental act to inspire thoughtful giving REALLY boggle my mind. Nevertheless, it reminds me of someone I once knew.

Me.

I was a cynic when it came to these kinds of things.

• Foreign aid: "Why give money to African states? The money is ultimately wasted by corrupt leaders." 
• The United Way: "All the money goes to administration. Nothing gets through to the people who really need it."
• Flute scholarships in India: "How the hell is learning the flute going to get those people out of poverty?"
• Street beggars: "They just spend it on drugs."

Well, I don't think like that anymore.

These days, I NEVER criticize anybody who gives their time or their money or their expertise or their anything voluntarily to do what they think is giving others a helping hand.

Even if a project seems kinda wacky -- and I've seen my share -- what matters to me is that the "giver" thinks it's meaningful.

And that's good enough for me.