For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with the idea that I’m among the wealthiest people in the history of the human race. I have goals and life projects that most people would never even dream of having the opportunity to pursue. Who am I to have deserved such a privilege among other people? What makes me so special? I’m not special, and the fact that I have all this privilege and wealth fills me with guilt. By donating a portion of my income to charity and contributing to efforts to help make the world a better place, these feelings of guilt are substantially weakened. That’s part of the reason why I give—to not feel as guilty.
Another part is that it makes my life more meaningful. By contributing to a cause greater than myself, my life feels purposeful; hopefully the good I do will have positive effects for long after I’m dead.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with the idea that I’m among the wealthiest people in the history of the human race. I have goals and life projects that most people would never even dream of having the opportunity to pursue. Who am I to have deserved such a privilege among other people? What makes me so special? I’m not special, and the fact that I have all this privilege and wealth fills me with guilt. By donating a portion of my income to charity and contributing to efforts to help make the world a better place, these feelings of guilt are substantially weakened. That’s part of the reason why I give—to not feel as guilty.
Another part is that it makes my life more meaningful. By contributing to a cause greater than myself, my life feels purposeful; hopefully the good I do will have positive effects for long after I’m dead.