Monday, April 28, 2008



This post card from PostSecret warmed my heart.

My friend and I had a conversation about giving last night. At a conference she recently attended she heard that our generation is one of people who want to make significant changes in the world, but doesn't want to work for those changes. I can't speak for the whole of a generation, but for me this isn't complete truth. I'm not afraid of the work involved in making change, I just have no idea where to start. We are bombarded daily with newscasts and commercials spanning everything from the starving children in Africa to abandoned animals that need our money to survive.
What's your take? Are we a generation of only lip service, one that feels helpless in light of such massive need, or something in between? Can we even classify a generation in this way?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm...interesting. I agree that we want change. The thing is is that we have found so many things that need to be "changed". Like you said, we are bombarded CONSTANTLY with areas that we should be helping with...local areas like food banks, volunteer fire station fund drives, national efforts like hurricane relief, wildfire relief, and worldwide efforts like vaccines, food, water, etc for other countries. Yes, we want to help, but one can only extend their resources so far. It makes my head spin when I think about what I should donate to...either my money or my time or both. There is so much need, where do we even begin? Is there a way to prioritze or something? Do we just go on what we feel we are personally called to give to? When I think about these things, I only come up with more questions...as is the way with most things in life.
Would love to hear others opinions and suggestions!
-Jen from PA

aola said...

Like Cara said recently.. I'm through with feeling guilty over global dispair.

The old saying "Charity begins at home" comes to mind. I think we just do what we can where we can and stop worrying about things we can't change.

E. Michelle said...

we're also overwhelmed with debt and consumerism, some aspects of one or the other or both...

R said...

hmm. . . i wonder what the speaker who said that wants from our generation. in my experience, people who classify generations want something . . .

i halfway agree with A and completely agree with E. I still think we need to look at how our daily lives affect others. We can't think anymore that our daily actions don't have consequences. We know too much. At the same time, we can't become immobilized by guilt.

Our generation lives in a global world. It's hard to know as much as we know, to be exposed to as much "news" as we are and still find a way to live a meaningful life.

But we're smart. We'll do it.

Old Folks Blog said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Katt said...

Well... not wanting to sound like a bible thumper here... but I think we give where the Lord asks us to give. Your right the need is so great all over the world. There is much to do.. and should I say little time in which to do it? I agree with A in the fact that charity starts at home... we have so many homeless.. so many children in orphanages...and so many going hungry. We can be the light of the world .. but being an example of doing t6e right thing for our country.
Just my thought
Love ya!