Right around New Year’s, every magazine cover has some piece of advice on how to make those resolutions into a reality, but the one thing they can all agree on is the importance of measurable, attainable goals. No matter what is is we want to accomplish, real change is undermined when we try to look at one gigantic problem. Instead, breaking big problems into bite sized pieces gives us the motivation to see something through to the end. Peter Singer’s book felt like trying to cram a year’s worth of self-improvement into January. My dislike of the book had far less to do with thinking he was wrong (He wasn’t. I mean, objectively, we all probably should do more.), but the idea that unless I were to give up every excess in my life I wouldn’t be doing enough didn’t inspire me, it depressed me.
The Power of Half is so much more salient for me because it sets goals toward being a good person that feel attainable. I can absolutely spend half as much time playing Temple Run 2 on my phone or go out to eat half as much as I currently do. By asking less, it actually motivates the reader to do more. Additionally, measurable goals are for more motivating, psychologically speaking, than abstract ones. By eliminating the wiggle room left by saying we will do more to help or give up some of our time, deciding to give away half of something keeps us honest.
The question is: is it really okay to say, “I’m not going to give up everything, but I’ll give up half of something I really enjoy, and that is good enough.”? The attractive answer is, yes. However, Singer’s book still nags at me. As I read his arguments, I couldn’t poke any real holes in them. It’s true that almost every single dollar I’ve ever spent or will ever spend could help someone who really needs it, and, by choosing not to, I’m putting my wants ahead of other’s needs. In class, Dr. Campbell said that we need to work out the answers to these questions for ourselves, and I’m sure my opinion will continue to evolve over the course of this semester and my life. But, today, my conclusion is this: this week I will give up half of something I like doing, and put those resources(whether it’s time, money, or something else) toward doing something good for someone whose needs are greater than mine, and I will feel good about that, but I will use that nagging feeling that Singer’s book has left me with to push me toward making a bigger sacrifice next week.
I almost forgot! My favorite way to take baby steps toward making a difference: Kiva.org lets you contribute as little as $25 dollars to give a microfinance loan to someone in need.
I agree with many of Melissa's points. Singer came on very strong with his ideals of giving and the horrifying numbers he presented about the tragedies in the world, and it was very depressing at times to see how much need parts of the world have. It certainly was overwhelming to hear about the billions of people in need and the billions of dollars that have failed to serve their purpose. Yet, I found the book to be inspirational, especially parts where he named individuals or small groups of people coming together to enact change, and actually succeeding -- starting with baby steps. I think The Power of Half is a fascinating story about a brave family that had the potential to sound arrogant and negatively challenge the reader, but instead the author came across as humble and genuine and, most importantly, relatable. Even though I couldn't see my parents acting in a similar manner, their story has inspired me, especially all of Hannah's asides about how to take baby steps and start a conversation or start volunteering or start learning about philanthropic issues and in the process learning about yourself. I have really enjoyed this book, and instead of just presenting the huge, global issues that have yet to be solved by major governments and world organizations, The Power of Half has succinctly detailed a real family's real journey through all of the questions I'm sure we all struggle with when it comes to giving... Why give? What to give up? To who? How much? Will that make a difference? And so on. This book has made major world problems seem more manageable, and it certainly makes me feel like a few, dedicated people can really impact many other lives in a significant way. Maybe if we all gave up half of something and took that time or money and put it towards helping others, we could create a bigger change than any of us could have imagined. If we all gave up our extravagant things, no one would have to give up their bottled water.
ReplyDeleteI felt very inspired after reading The Power of Half. The Salwen's stated that everyone has their own definition of half: half of your time doing an activity, half of the money you would normally spend going out, etc. The book had a much more empowering message than Singer's book and, in the end, I felt that it would be possible for me to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteKevin Salwen and his family did not show (much) judgement towards others they knew who did not have such philanthropic views. Instead, they appeared much more relateable when they showed their own doubts about their decisions and their insecurities about discussing their choices with others.
I feel that Salwen's book shows the audience to take a more progressive approach. First, you chose one thing to give half of. Once you become accustomed to that, it is more motivation to chose something else to give up half of. In the case of the Salwen family, they jumped in with both feet and no safety net, but the activities they gave throughout the book show that it is possible to start slow and build up gradually.
I was really inspired by "The Power of Half." It is amazing how the Salwen family made such sacrifices because of a comment that their 14 year old daughter made. I am very surprised how seriously Hannah's parents took her observation and how all the decisions made included the entire family. I think it is great that Kevin and Jean gave their children so much power in the situation, especially when there was so much money involved.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that really stood out to me was how the Salwen family really stuck to their plan to make a difference. Throughout the two year process that Kevin writes about, they lost touch with friends and family, couldn't sell their house (and were simultaneously paying bills for both houses) and were insulted by viewers of their television interviews. As I was reading, I could not believe that regardless of how much they were sacrificing along the way, they continued to push themselves. And even more amazing to me, was how lightly Hannah and Joseph took the comments written by their viewers. I don't know if I would have the strength to push through a process like that for two years. It is nice to know that there are people out there who have the mindset that Hannah Salwen has, especially in this society. It is rare that we come across people in our generation who would put the lives of a whole bunch of strangers before themselves. Kudos to the Salwen family.
I completely agree with the idea of taking baby steps in order to reach attainable goals. Although for some half may be a bit much, Salwen argues that it is almost the easiest thing to measure. I can easily cut half the time I spend on my cell phone, or cut half the amount of money I spend on junk and contribute it towards a philanthropic effort. While individually we can create great changes to our habits and behavior, I think Salwen does a great job at demonstrating the effectiveness of teamwork when fighting for a cause. While it is safe to say that the Salwen family is extraordinary and represents only a minority of American families, such a supportive network need not come in the form of parents ans siblings. It can come in the form of friends, coworkers, and even strangers. While reading, I spent a great portion of my time admiring the Salwen family for their passion and dedication and seemed to forget the message of the book. Yes, it is amazing that a family could come together and achieve such tangible results, but the Salwen family is no different than a group of friends coming together, or even a class (e.g. SCHL 280H). The Power of Half is a wonderful book that proves that anything is possible when a group of passionate, dedicated people come together.
ReplyDeleteThere are many lessons and ideas that we as individuals, and as a class, can take from The Power of Half. As individuals, we can admire the commitment and drive of the Salwens, and we can try to adopt the idea of giving half of something we have. I agree with many of the previous posts that have commented on the idea of attainable goals. Giving half of something is much more feasible than just donating ambiguously. I particularly liked Hannah’s activity in the book “Time, Talent and Treasure” because it broke down different ways that one person could give within their life. Each and every one of us could use that method and find some time that we can get off of facebook for an hour, or something we can eliminate from our spending and donate that money.
ReplyDeleteI also think that we can look towards the Salwens as a class and use them as a model for making our own decision. We have a lot of choices to make as a whole and quite a journey ahead of us. It is going to get frustrating at times since there are so many of us, and I am sure we are going to feel as if we aren’t capable of making actual change. It is for this reason, we can look to the Salwens and mirror their process. They made their idea into a bunch of smaller, more attainable, “baby steps” to help them get from point A to point B. They started off with a list of questions that helped them narrow it down further and further, one step at a time until they were doing something they were proud of.
I agree the Salwens' story inspiring not only morally but because it sets attainable and measurable goals for philanthropists. However, I think the most interesting part of the book was THP's concept that handouts can sometimes reinforce the "victim" mentality--a concept reflected by Kiva, the last thing mentioned in the blog post. Rather than give people money, it makes them repay a small fee so the recipients feel a real reward and attachment to the money, what it means for them, and what it can do. In my high school freshman English class, we did a Kiva assignment: every student wrote about someone in need of a loan, and we voted on the best paper to determine who would receive the funds we donated (about a dollar each). I don't remember who won, but I'll always remember that feeling--only fourteen years old, and I was helping to make someone's life better. It's selfish, but as the Salwens noted, one of the best parts of philanthropy is bettering not only the world, but oneself.
ReplyDeleteMany have already commented on your idea of small steps, which is an idea I totally agree with. For me, it makes the idea of philanthropy exciting: a process I can work towards and become a part of, as opposed to the unattainable goal of fixing everything alone (as we discussed in class on Sunday).
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'd like to mention how much I really love your initial analogy to New Years resolutions. If my goal was to run a marathon, I wouldn't be able to run the whole length January second. I would have to work up to it day by day until I finally could cross the finish line. In fact, trying to run like that on the first day, without training our thought, would be dangerous.
Giving without thought and preparation can also be dangerous. The Salwen's went to great lengths to ensure that their donations were going exactly where they wanted them to go. They researched several organizations, spoke with representatives, and even visited the specific sites of donation. Reading the Salwen's story made realize just how much thought and preparation philanthropy entails. When I first started the class, I thought the process of donating ten thousand dollars would be relatively simple, but now I realize how much I have to learn before I am prepared for such a task. It shows how much responsibility we have, but how exciting it will be when we know the money is going exactly where we hope to help.
I strongly agree with the idea that small steps toward philanthropy is an important idea for anyone to follow, as making huge leaps may rush someone to donate toward an organization that may be inefficient or not fulfilling to the donator. An essential lesson that all of us can take from Salwen's book is the amount of planning and time that it takes to donate toward an organization. Additionally, we can observe that donating toward an organization isn't random, but rather a systematic decision done after finding one's values.
ReplyDeleteAlso, many seem to be bashing against Singer's ideals because it asks too much from them. However, as you have said, there aren't much holes that we can poke at his arguments. If we take his sentiments into our own perspectives, we can follow his ideals subjectively and fit it into our lifestyles. For example, his challenge that we have too many clothes in our wardrobes is probably true. The lesson that we should take from his book should be to recognize what we have in excess, not to be threatened to donate most of what we currently possess. I feel that both books were enlightening and made us question our lifestyles and what we could do to change it to better our societies.