Giving Thanks and Giving Back

Earlier this week, I was writing the traditional ‘count your blessings’ Thanksgiving post when I got an email notice about a new article on Lifehack.org. The post by Dustin Wax was called Rethink the Season of Giving and when I read it, it changed everything I had to say.

Wax talks about the cultural phenomena that sends Americans flocking to serve dinner at a homeless shelter or buy toys for the poor six weeks out of every year. They do their part then sleep soundly, knowing they offered up a bit of themselves to help those less fortunate during the holiday season.

But what about the rest of the year? Does wrapping gifts to raise money for the church really fulfill your obligation to your fellow man?

Says Wax, “I think the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas season really brings out the best in people. But I think too that it leads us astray. In fact, I think it’s all too easy to get so caught up in the good feelings of the season that we lose sight of the point: giving is not about good feelings! The fact that our charity is seasonal should be a source of shame, not pride.”

Neither he nor I wish to discourage you from doing everything you can to make the world a better place this holiday season, but we also hope that you’ll save a little of that charity to dispense throughout the year.

Rethink the Season of Giving offers up five very important points about giving that I hope you’ll go read and take to heart. But before you go, I’d like to leave you with one last thought. When you sit down for dinner this Thanksgiving day, be it a turkey feast with three generations or pizza with your friends, I hope you’ll take a moment to not only give thanks for what you have, but to think about how you can use what you have to help others.

It’s not just about money. It could mean using your web design skills to create an auction page for non-profit. Using your PR contacts to get a celebrity to host a charity event. Collecting DVDs and books from your friends to donate to a nursing home or shelter. Make a difference this holiday season, but don’t stop there.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving from all of us at GlobalShift.org