Linda, There was a time when I would have felt very guilty after reading your post, and Gary's, and Angela's. I used to think that I didn't have the right to wealth, and that I was somehow morally bankrupt for wanting it. Now my conscience is clear. My family will all receive gifts this year. Not lavish ones, certainly not by some standards, but they will receive them. Two of my grandsons have already received a gift...the joy of thinking of another child...the little boy they chose from the "Angel Tree" and helped choose gifts for. Three dozen homeless men and women will be fed a Christmas dinner. A victim of domestic violence and his or her children will receive shelter and counseling for a month. Two homeless families will receive shelter for a month, and a few homeless men or women will receive medical care. A family somewhere in the third world will be fed for almost half a year. It took very little, relatively. Only 10% of my income. Yes, Gary, some won't want help or to educate themselves for a better life. But I believe we can take care of those who will accept it. It only takes each of us doing what we can. Remember the loaves and the fishes? There's enough and more for everyone. Cheri

Hi Cheri, You said: ======================= "There was a time when I would have felt very guilty after reading your post, and Gary's, and Angela's. I used to think that I didn't have the right to wealth, and that I was somehow morally bankrupt for wanting it. Now my conscience is clear." ======================= Cheri! Why did you think that you didn't have the right to wealth, and that you were somehow morally bankrupt for wanting it? Huh? I don't get it. You are a GOOD person. Why should a good person not be wealthy? There are plenty of scumbag drug-dealing criminals who are very wealthy but THEY are morally bankrupt. When you are wealthy, Cheri, you then have the opportunity to help others. I see so many people in need of help and it hurts me to know that I simply cannot help them all. However, each Christmas I search for somebody who needs help - always a total stranger - and I buy them presents or give them money, whatever I feel will help them most. A couple of years ago a lady wrote a very impassioned letter into our morning newspaper. She and her husband had both been out of work for quite some time and were in rented accomodation. All their money was fully committed to paying the utility bills. She wrote that ALL her available money was going into school books for her only daughter and that they were unable to buy her any presents for Christmas or the pair of jeans that she so desperately wanted. I contacted the paper, gave it my telephone number and asked them to get the lady to call me. She did. And here is what I did... I made a time to visit. I met her on the porch of her rented home - a small, rundown little place in a suburb of Perth called Subiaco. I asked if I could give her daughter a Christmas card. When the daughter came to the door she was a strikingly beautiful young lady of about 15. She stepped onto the porch, I handed her the Christmas card and wished them both a Merry Christmas. With a puzzled look on her face she began to open it as I walked back to my vehicle. As I reversed out of the driveway I saw them hugging each other, obviously in quite an emotional state. You see inside the card, along with a message of hope, I had placed a brand new $100 note. I expect the young girl was able to buy her jeans after all. I could tell you other stories about other people I have helped but I am not quite ready for sainthood yet. LOL! So Cheri, when you have money you can do lots of nice things for people in need or facing a temporary crisis. And the great thing is... it gives YOU a good feeling inside too. Merry Christmas Cheri. Gary Simpson.

Gary, You asked ============================================= Cheri! Why did you think that you didn't have the right to wealth, and that you were somehow morally bankrupt for wanting it? ============================================= The answer: because I was wrongheaded, lol. You're preaching to the choir, friend. I've explored your question for myself many times, while struggling to overcome that mindset. You see, my logic told me the same thing you did. My upbringing, however, told me there's a scarcity of wealth, and that if I have a roof over my head, clothes to wear and enough to eat, I shouldn't ask for more. I have a lifetime of proof that approaching anything, especially money, from an attitude of lack and scarcity gets more lack and scarcity. Some extraordinary events and synchronicities over the past 12 months have shown me the reality. Now I'm happy Linda has brought it up, and has given us the opportunity to show others that reality. Consider Luke 6:38 "Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, runnning over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." Gary, I'll bet you can attest to that. I can. Cheri

Hi Linda, Now your touching an area that intrigues me. It's good to give, right. How good is it to receive? You said... "If you've ever read Psycho Cybernetics, you'll be familiar with this concept. There is a theory that we humans are made of energy, like all things and thus, we attract what we give off. Kind of like using a tuning fork and having a piano return the same note. We "attract" the same frequency we emanate. " I believe this but I have not reached a level of understanding where I can say I believe it completely. I'm a young mind. It's my belief that everyone has a natural frequency and when we are in close contact to other people with similar characteristics you can engoy the greatness of synergy. Now back to the wealthy people giving to the less fortunate. I was poor once and I would do it again. There are things you learn from being poor that you cannot completely appreciate if you have not walked in those same shoes. It's all experience and it's not a waste of time. When I see people making an offering in an act of kindness so they can feel better about themselves, I wonder how well they understand their offering. If you want to give, give but does it make it better if you tell someone you gave? If you read this, it is not meant as a personal attack to anyone for any reason. I am sharing a different view. A view that has been influenced by my experiences. Jack

Hi Jack, =================== "If you want to give, give but does it make it better if you tell someone you gave?" =================== I was inspired to make my posts on this in the hope that others would also spread some joy and happiness to those "less fortunate." Sometimes, all some other people need is an example or a lead to follow to do some good themselves - a bit of a spark, so to speak. Obviously that is a personal choice. In my opinion, there is far too much misery and mean-spiritedness in this world. I don't aim to add to it. Some people are so bloody stingy that they won't even give a smile, a word of encouragement, a compliment, the time of day or anything else to anybody. Maybe that makes them happy. Their choice. But that is not the way I choose to live. Yes, I feel good when I can make another person happy or ease their pain in some way. If I give somebody a gift - yes, I feel good then too. If I help somebody or do them a favor, yes I feel good then too. I don't know why. It just happens BUT... that is not the reason I give or do what I do. That is merely a by-product. Something that happens AFTER I make my decision. You might think this odd but I also feel good when I smack somebody in the head if they are attacking a person who cannot defend themself. (eg bash a Granny and the potential basher had better do it out of my view.) Jack, sometimes I see frail old people in a bank, mostly women. Because they are hard of hearing themselves they tend to almost shout to the teller. "I want to withdraw a thousand dollars thanks miss!" I will casually glance around to see if there is anybody dodgy-looking who might be standing in the queue. When the elderly person leaves I will shadow them just to make sure they arrive at their vehicle or wherever they are going safely. Am I weird? Many would say yes. Rarely do I tell anybody that I do these things. Often I will not even mention it to my wife. I do recall mentioning the bank thing once to Linda in a private email exchange. I can't remember why the subject even came up. I will also help an old person to cross the road. I have even held up traffic to do this. I am also kind to animals. When I see somebody being cruel to an animal - again, they had better make sure that they can run faster than me because I will punish them. A few weeks ago a poor old guy in a wheelchair did not have the strength to push himself up a slope at a shopping centre. Lots of people walked past and ignored him. I helped him. I didn't give it a second thought. I just did it - and I treated him with respect. I called him sir. I have also been known to hold doors open for people, stand up on a bus or train and offer my seat to a person who needs it more than me. I have also changed many a flat tyre for women whose vehicles have broken down on the highway. Why do I mention these things here? I'm not seeking praise or wanting people to know some of the good things that I do even though those who read this post will now know. Really, I don't care. I just do what I think is right. Don't even think of nominating me for POTW. I will decline. I'm trying to make a point. Rarely do I speak of these things but, on this occasion, to demonstrate a point I chose to do so. Maybe I am making people sick from reading this. If so, stop reading. Your choice. Again, I don't care. You see, I know who I am. I'm not a hero nor do I want to be. I simply have the power to help and I exercise that power, often. Sometimes it is even to my detriment but I do it anyway without seeking ANY reward. jack, you ended by saying: ==================== "If you read this, it is not meant as a personal attack to anyone for any reason. I am sharing a different view. A view that has been influenced by my experiences." ==================== I take no offence as you did not reference me specifically. At the risk of wearing out my favorite word... I was adding epexegesis. In closing, I guess we all have our own values, standards, ethics and codes to live by. I live by mine. Happy Christmas to one and all. Gary Simpson PS: If you have the capacity to do somebody some good over Christmas, please do it.