What good are you?

[Tmy]

Do you do anything to improve society? Do you help anyone or anything?

I got to thinking about this because of comments made in a mumber of threads and dealing wh people in general.

I have this friend who has the worst zero sum attitude. If he does anything extra then hes losing out. Doesnt give to charity, figures he pays his taxes and thats too much already. Takes advantage of situtaions, and never does anything unless hes getting paid in some way. I must admit that he does well (financially), but I dont think I could deal wh so much bad karma.

[Mr Manifesto]

I give to the odd charity in the office. My main gig is that I rescue native animals. People can't believe I do it for free. When I don't show up with a helicopter for rescuing the animal, or a little robot that can scuttle up drainpipes to remove possums, I get some tut-tutting and, "You're not very professional, are you?"

"Well, nooo... I'm a volunteer."

"Oh, I had no idea!"

Needless to say, I do it for the animals. I do it for the animals. I do it for the animals. I do it for the animals.

[Jon_in_london]

Bad karma. Tho I dont really belive in Karma, that very bad karma nonetheless. Thats not a zero-sum attitude, thats a negative sum attitude.

Not to be nasty or anything, but it may be a good thing for him to need oh, say 5 units of blood one of these days.... then he can re-balance his karma books.

Of course, the scary thing is that theres prolly a lot of people just like him who dont even pay taxes but sit around sponging of welfare.....

moi? Im a blood donor, work in a lab doing blood for leukemia patients and get paid peanuts for it. Am a volunteer rifleman. Help people who look lost, humour lonely old people who want to chat a while.


Karma credit! :D

[Mr Manifesto]

Oh, and I'm a blood donor.

And I marched against the war in Iraq every chance I got. :D (that was three times, if you're wondering)

[Tony]

Originally posted by Mr Manifesto


And I marched against the war in Iraq every chance I got. :D (that was three times, if you're wondering)

He said good for society, protesting the removal of a tyrant isnt a good thing.

[Tony]

I give money to bums, I donate money to Jerry's Kids (a charity), and I supported the removal of saddam hussien.

[Tmy]

I leave money in the "Give a penny take a penny" dish! I have a pet peeve about leaving unused lights on. I try n recycle stuff. I drive a 4 cylnder car, I give my old clothes to the salvation army.

To sum it up, I'm just like jesus! If I had super fish n loafs of bread powers Id use them for good. (Unlike some posters who would open their own bread and wine stores and use their powers to drive the other stores out of business!)

[Mr Manifesto]

Oh, and I recycle and give my old clothes to charity. And I'm getting a water tank to store rainwater and solar water heating.

[Boo]

I've spent the last 18 years of my life working as a Paramedic averaging 48-60 hours a week just to make enough money to keep the family fed and the bills paid.

I am in the process of starting an orginization of parents with special needs children that will meet with State Legislators in their districts to advocate for programs (and funding) for special needs children. Next year during the Legislative session we will be carpooling to the State Capitol to show support for these programs. Side benefit is getting more people registered to vote and aware of how the process works.


Boo

[peptoabysmal]

I manage a riparian habitat wildlife preserve and donate to the "Make a Wish" foundation. I don't recycle, because it is a wasteful scam.

[Mr Manifesto]

Originally posted by Boo
I've spent the last 18 years of my life working as a Paramedic averaging 48-60 hours a week just to make enough money to keep the family fed and the bills paid.

I am in the process of starting an orginization of parents with special needs children that will meet with State Legislators in their districts to advocate for programs (and funding) for special needs children. Next year during the Legislative session we will be carpooling to the State Capitol to show support for these programs. Side benefit is getting more people registered to vote and aware of how the process works.


Boo

Oh, and I've spent the latest 18 years of my life working as a Paramedic...

::shakes head::

Woah! Gotta cut down on this stuff!



The other stuff was true, but. :D

[mbp]

I occasionally hold the door open for complete strangers! :halo:

[Dancing David]

I breathe air, I consume products, I keep my credit cards to a minimum.

I do the volunteer thing, help with my son's cub scout troop, obey the trafic laws, work in a domestic violence shelter. I support my local dance group and have a garden to feed butterflies and thier larvae.

[gnome]

I donate to JREF... this is the first organization I've given a specific donation to (aside from the odd pocketful of change) mainly because I think that ignorance and irrational beliefs are at the root of a huge number of the world's problems. I guess I feel that greed accounts for most of the rest, but it's hard to donate money against greed... :p

Additionally I try to boycott one product from each commercial industry, my own compromise of trying to be socially conscious without totally cutting myself off from the world.

I try to be someone that my friends can count on for help of any kind...

There could be more but these are the ones I thought worth mentioning...

Kudos to everyone else helping make the world better.

[WildCat]

I help support this organization. (http://www.associationofhorizon.org/frames/left_frame_01.htm) They organize a summer camp for disabled adults, since the MDA only works w/ kids. There's actually a pic of me on that site, if you go to the 2001 Hackney's Holiday Party pics in the photo archive I'm the guy in the lower left pic, w/ my girlfriend. She's an ex-president of this organization, that's a bad pic of her though. She's really quite thin!

[Mr Manifesto]

You mean this one?

http://www.associationofhorizon.org/Hackney's/2001/annajerry.jpg

Aw, you big softy, helping the disabled. C'mere wildcat, lemme scratch yer belly... :D


edit: changed pic to link: pic was too darned big, don't know how to trim.

[Ladewig]

When I join museums and such, I give a little more than the minimum membership amount. I donate time and money to the pet charities of friends and relatives. Over the years that has ranged from light carpentry to clearing trails to GED tutoring.

If I see a particularly egregious violation of the Bill of Rights, I may send a double sawbuck to the ACLU or SPLC.

[WildCat]

Originally posted by Mr Manifesto
You mean this one?

http://www.associationofhorizon.org/Hackney's/2001/annajerry.jpg

Aw, you big softy, helping the disabled. C'mere wildcat, lemme scratch yer belly... :D
You weren't supposed to make it that easy! ;)
There used to be a pic of me on the Halloween party page where I was dressed as a quack doctor, but it's since been taken down. Too bad, you could even see my "aura".

[JAR]

Anyone who makes and spends money benefits society.

[Edited to add: Under a communistic government, that statement would be, "Anyone who makes money for the government benefits society."]

[JAR]

Originally posted by peptoabysmal
[snip]
I don't recycle, because it is a wasteful scam.
One of my uncles claimed that a study showed that recycling plants cost so much to build, use and maintain that we will never benefit by them.

I haven't heard this anywhere else though, so I'm a little skeptical of it.

[JAR]

Of course, this thread is another attempt by Tmy to hasten on the arrival of The Great Dream, which is world communism.

[Mr Manifesto]

Originally posted by JAR
Of course, this thread is another attempt by Tmy to hasten on the arrival of The Great Dream, which is world communism.

It's inevitable, you know. You may as well be on the winning side now and join us.

[UnrepentantSinner]

tim and I were discussing the concept behind the movie Pay it forward the other day. I try and look at doing nice things or random acts of kindness no matter how trite might have a Butterfly Effect on the world around me. Who knows, me letting a guy merge on the off ramp in Dallas might prevent some woman in Fort Worth from being beaten by her husband.

[armageddonman]

volunteer in an animal shelter, donor for www.aap.nl
feeding stray cats, eventually adopting them
used to work as paramedic but I don't like humans that much any more

[Tmy]

Originally posted by JAR
Of course, this thread is another attempt by Tmy to hasten on the arrival of The Great Dream, which is world communism.

Note to self: JAR knows too much!!!!


Some of the responces remind me of that old Chris Rock skit about "niggaz" always wanting credit for doing what they are supposed to do. "I havent been to jail!" and "I take care of my kids!"

[JAR]

When I was in Boy Scouts of America and Cub Scouts, which should be called "The Communist Scouts of America", I was forced various times by my father to do things with my troop and pack involving saving the environment and helping other people without getting payed.

[Hexxenhammer]

My wife and I give to the Humane Society, The Human Rights Campaign, the Salvation Army (clothes), and the Red Cross.

I have charity karma to catch up on because I got a fair share when Grand Forks/East Grand Forks, ND flooded in '97. I had a basement apartment. Ever clean up after a flood? Ick.

[Wile E. Coyote]

I struggle ever day to stop myself from comitting unspeakable acts in the name of atheism.

I also give blood, volunteered at an animal shelter, and pay taxes. Merely having a job is benefiting society more than most people contribute.