Birthdays

A year has passed. By now each of you on my friends list (except the very most recent) should have been honored on your birthday with a donation to a good cause. Since birthdays come around once a year, it is time to reassess what began as an experiment and has since become a weekly/daily spiritual practice.

And it was an experiment at first. (Experiment in Giving) My goal was to raise awareness of issues that have captured my interest, and see how others would respond. My friends (and often their friends) responded with graciousness, gratitude, and heightened interest. What I did not count on is the affect it would have on me. I found myself becoming more generous in all areas of my life, not just financial, but with my time and energy, and even with my smiles. Dare I say it, I am happier.

So giving in this way (beyond my family's 'regular' donations to our church and other charities) has become a transformative practice. But now that it has been a year and each friend has been honored once, should I continue or should I do something different?

Both seem right. I want to go on, and yet it seems like a good time to make a change. It has occurred to me that perhaps I should become more focused in the coming year. I still have high regard for the causes to which I have been giving for the past year (listed under "Facebook Birthday Experiment" on my webpage, donnal.net), and I intend to continue supporting them in some manner. But even though these organizations have a sound reputation for involving local communities, I never know exactly where my donations are going. This is not a criticism; it is just a feeling that I am not as closely involved as I would like to be. Could I do something more specific?

It turns out that I have friends with close ties in Haiti, Burma, Ethiopia, and possibly dozens of other locations around the world. I thought about continuing my Birthday Experiment by giving to one of these more 'local' causes, someplace where each donation would be more tangible.

And then, quite recently, I was made aware of a location on our planet so remote that maps are hard to come by, a region with fewer than 0.000003% of the earth's population (200 out of 7 billion), a society among the poorest in the world, fighting bravely against some of the world's most powerful economic interests not to mention a corrupt government. These are a people living in harmony with their environment, and what they require most as a community to continue their stewardship and improve their lives is a high school.

Will building a school save the world? Of course not, and I understand this. But it is not MY job to save the world. I can only respond to what I am called, and this project seems to be my calling at present. This project may HELP save the world.

So at least for the coming few months, I will make a $5 donation on YOUR birthday in YOUR name toward the building of this school. What I plan to do a bit differently this year is make it easier for others among your friends to match this gift if they wish, and you may do so yourself, but only as you (or they) feel led.

More to come.

Why I care.

And why I hope you will too.

Increasingly I find myself caring about things beyond my immediate control, and caring more deeply about each one. Maybe it is because I have entered what I consider to be the last third of my life. Maybe it is because the Internet has made me aware of more aspects of the world and more details about each area. Maybe I am simply part of a broader, deeper movement toward greater concern and compassion. I don't always know why, but I just know I care.

Yet what difference does it make? The problem with caring about something I can't control is that I don't know what to do about it. Is there anything I can do about it? Well, it turns out that often there is plenty. It is true that by myself I can do little, but when I sign a petition along with tens of thousands of others, it can make a big difference. I have seen it happen, more than once. When I make just two phone calls to my senators' offices along with hundreds of others, the senators may change their minds on a bill. I actually saw this happen, too. Every time I donate just $5 to an organization that uses these funds wisely, it combines with small gifts from thousands of others to make a real and tangible difference in someone's life.

In my opinion, however, the biggest difference any of us can make is to raise the level of awareness of others around us. And this is where you come in. I am not trying to talk you into donating money, or making phone calls, or even signing petitions. All I am trying to do is raise your awareness of the issues that have captured my attention and concern. I'm only asking you to think about it. If a topic touches you, you may want to "Like" or "Comment", and for the things you really care about too, you are invited to "Share".

But what if you disagree with me on something? There are plenty of issues where the problem may be clear, but the answers controversial. I invite you to share your views respectfully, and I will do the same. What about concerns I have never heard of? I invite you to post about the causes you hold dear to your heart. I will do my best to respond to you as I would have you respond to me.

Recently I decided to pick out a few of the web sites that represent the issues I have come to care most about. Then I created a page with annotated links to each of these sites: donnal on the Internet.

Blessings upon you.