Why I started donating more
How we learn to use our time
When I started developing my professional skills, it took me more than a year of staying in a room, going through books to become good enough to get my first job. As the young minds go, all I was ever thinking about was my financial independence. All I wanted to do is buy new parts for my computer, buy that new stereo, go home after work and watch TV shows while drinking.
I know — sad. It’s an overview of where all my money and time went.
I don’t make friends easily, so I had almost none. Enter Facebook — this was about the time when social media was starting to get traction. I reconnected with lots of people and built my first relations with foreigners. I discovered the most critical rule of possessions.
When you burrow yourself in possessions, it’s because you’re not happy with your social surrounding!
The emotional impact of Social Media
Imagine a hot, bright desert landscape with a small, yet tall Hindu temple in the middle. Everybody walks barefoot inside a Hindu temple, so your feet are burning in the sand while you get through thousands of people dancing to reach the shadows where your feet could finally cool down! Now imagine hundreds of these people are merchants, going in circles around you, holding five or six different objects in each hand. They are talking to you in several different languages (at a time) trying to catch your attention and interest in buying their creations. Around them are children, who beg you for money. Even the smallest shown interest towards a merchant would make it impossible to get rid of them — they would become even more aggressive and persuading!
This scenery frighteningly resembles social media like Facebook. The smallest shown interest in anything on the web will be your 80% of the feed from now on.
Why am I telling you this? Because my Facebook feed had turned into that landscape with hundreds of merchants hanging on my neck — Chinese sellers, Russian sellers, everybody in the World believed that I’d buy anything they show me on a shiny picture! Golden discounts, coupons and diamond accounts were pouring for their on-line shops!
I had to do something to redefine what purpose social media is serving to me. It’s what I’m doing here in Medium. It was when I opened my eyes what impact does consumerism to the Planet and even to us.
I unsubscribed from all thousands of newsletters, sent out by on-line stores. I changed my focus to people and information. Not only that crucial step made me spend way less money, but it helped me earn way more.
Truth be told, distrust in institutions (even more so in individuals) is the most common issue I see when it comes to donating. That is why I united with WWF, of which I very well know and share the values.
It felt indescribably good to learn the impact of my monthly support! All I was ever thinking throughout the year was that my donations were very humble, and they won’t make any difference. I was wrong, though I am happy that I felt that way because it made me even more committed.
Finding and supporting different causes turned my Facebook feed into the Bat Light — charity cases and sad stories everywhere — no online shops any more. But the world isn’t all roses and honey. I don’t want it covered up for me. I related roses and honey as something beautiful — things that come from nature. Why wouldn’t I have said “Subwoofers and Cars” instead?
Cars change design all the time. We consider new ones beautiful and old ones — old! Cats and dogs have been around for thousands of years, and I’ve never seen drastic changes in their appearance. Yet they are and always have been beautiful. If I have ten bucks to spare each month, I have two options: stash them into a bank account and wait to buy a car or give them away to preserve wild animals. I just said what I love more and would enjoy for a more extended period.
Final thoughts
Do people have to be wealthy to be into donations? No, no and no. My observations have shown me that people who have less are willing to give more because they know best what it’s like not to have. Compassion is something we develop.
There’s an old story that says it best:
One day a man was walking along the beach, when he noticed a boy picking up starfish and throwing them into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “Excuse me, but what are you doing?”
The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The sun is rising and tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
The man laughed to himself and said, “But there’s too many starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly make a difference!”After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean. Then, turning to the man, he said, “I made a difference to that one.”
Thank you for reading!