The Christmas season is upon us. Regardless of whether or not you celebrate the Christmas holiday, this is also the season where we close out one year and begin another. It's a time to pause and reflect on the past year's accomplishments, as well as a time of hope for the future. It's one of my favorite times of the year.
I always enjoyed hearing the Nativity story when our family went to church on Christmas Eve (both while growing up and even now to this day). For those of you who are not familiar with the story, Mary and Joseph have to travel to Joseph's hometown of Bethlehem because the Roman emperor wanted to conduct a census. Once they get there (presumably after a long journey), there are no places to stay. Now, historians say that there weren't hotels or inns back in those days, at least what we think of hotels today, but regardless, the young couple goes to a local innkeeper to find shelter for the night. The innkeeper tells them that there are no rooms left, but he was probably sympathetic to the fact that Mary was quite pregnant and offered the use of his stable. Later that evening, Mary gives birth to Jesus, and the rest as they say is history.
I haven't really ever considered the Nativity story from the perspective of the innkeeper. I am not really sure why that is the case, as you could certainly argue that the innkeeper played a crucial role. For example, imagine if the innkeeper refused to offer Mary and Joseph the use of his stable. What would have happened then? Thankfully, that is not what happened. The innkeeper offered the use of his stable, which was better than nothing. And that, my friends, is an incredible gift. The innkeeper saw someone in need, and he gave them shelter.
I have been reading a lot lately about something called effective altruism. Basically, effective altruism, in a broad sense, is evidence-based charity or giving with the goal of having the greatest possible positive impact on the greatest number of individuals. The movement was founded by the philosopher Peter Singer, Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz and his wife, Cari Tuna, professional poker player Liv Boeree, and Oxford researchers William MacAskill and Toby Ord. William MacAskill recently gave an interview for the "Daily Stoic", and his TED talk now has over one million views.
There are two fundamental tenants of effective altruism. First - we have both an obligation and duty to help other people. Just as the innkeeper in the Nativity story, we should always be ready to offer our assistance to those in need. Second - we should try to have the greatest impact on others in need by being effective and efficient. And, when it comes to helping others - even complete strangers - the members of this movement definitely put their money where their mouth is - MacAskill made a commitment in 2009 to give every dollar of his income over $30,000 each year to charity!
Not everyone is willing to make the same kind of commitment that MacAskill has made, and that's perfectly okay. However, I think we all have an obligation to lend a helping hand to those in need. Whether it's through our time, talent, or treasure, we can all make a difference. There are so many problems in the world today, and our help is desperately needed.
There are a number of great resources available to help you decide where to invest your time and energy. Charity Navigator is an organization that evaluates charities (in terms of how effective they are, how much money they spend on administrative fees or advertising, etc) in the United States and is a great place to start. Similarly, Give Well also analyzes charities and other giving opportunities to help you decide where your money can have the greatest impact. The organization, 80,000 hours (so named because we will spend 80,000 hours at work over our lifetimes) provides information on careers that have high-positive impacts.
In this season of giving, this season of hope, let us all remember that there are people in this world who are in desperate need of our assistance. Let us all remember the words of Carl Satterwhite - "You give to get to give!" Give. Advocate. Volunteer. And be like the innkeeper of old.
No comments:
Post a Comment