Give, but give until it hurts

[GoodTaste]

Does "Give, but give until it hurts" mean "Give (what you have - money, proper ect. to help other people), but stop giving when you feel the too much giving has made the quality of your life deteriorated"?


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“Give, but give until it hurts.”


― Mother Teresa

 

[GoesStation]

No.

 

[jutfrank]

Talking about a deteriorating quality of life is going way overboard. Mother Teresa didn't quite mean that.

She meant that when you give, say, money to charity, you should give an amount that you will notice—that will make a difference to you. Imagine a multi-billionnaire donating just one thousand dollars—he wouldn't miss this amount at all. He wouldn't 'feel' it.

 

[GoodTaste]

Talking about a deteriorating quality of life is going way overboard. Mother Teresa didn't quite mean that.

She meant that when you give, say, money to charity, you should give an amount that you will notice—that will make a difference to you. Imagine a multi-billionnaire donating just one thousand dollars—he wouldn't miss this amount at all. He wouldn't 'feel' it.

So the billonnaire should give 500 million dollars - for this amount he can feel or it "hurts" him?

 

[GoesStation]

So the billonnaire should give 500 million dollars - for this amount he can feel or it "hurts" him?

A billionaire is worth at least a billion dollars. Reducing that to half a billion wouldn't hurt. S/he should give at least, say, $990,000.

 

[emsr2d2]

We can't say how much a billionaire would have to give until he/she really notices the difference. It depends on what they're actually worth. The point is that it needs to be an amount that they will actually notice, not a drop in the ocean.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

So the billonnaire should give 500 million dollars - for this amount he can feel or it "hurts" him?

No. Most billionaires hate losing a dollar. That's how they became billionaires.

I was a fundraiser for nonprofits (NGOs) for many years. The working class gives more than the middle class, and the middle class gives more than the rich.

 

[GoesStation]

I was a fundraiser for nonprofits (NGOs) for many years. The working class gives more than the middle class, and the middle class gives more than the rich.

Proportionally speaking, perhaps. In absolute terms there's no way that the working class gives more than, say, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

 

[GoodTaste]

Proportionally speaking, perhaps. In absolute terms there's no way that the working class gives more than, say, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

Bill Gates seems to be exceptional.

 

[GoesStation]

Bill Gates seems to be exceptional.

He is. But there's a long tradition of extremely wealthy Americans devoting most of their assets to philanthropy. They can then satisfy their competitive drive by spending their money effectively rather than generating more of it.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Proportionally speaking, perhaps. In absolute terms there's no way that the working class gives more than, say, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

Yup. I figured that went without saying. Wrong again!

But actually, the stats have changed a bit since I used them last (I just looked), and as the wealth gap has grown, it looks like the share of giving has shifted somewhat. But since the rich and middle class take tax deductions and the working class generally doesn't, it looks like we still end up giving more—but not as much more.

Anyhow, it's getting late, and I'm glad I don't have to think about that stuff anymore!