So, if I were a real writter, and billions of dollars, this would be my letter for http://givingpledge.org/
Dedicated to Steven King, one of my favorite writers.
There was a time when society was young. Where a simple act's effect could be seen and felt by all. Where there was only one shoe maker, and if he was taught to be better, the whole society was affected and became better.
We are not as young or small. An effect of one day, will take years to be felt. Somehow you will never how it can happen. So, why would you spend your money today to make it better.
Now, sometimes parents can image wild ideas. You'd think, if I had my child become a doctor he can cure cancer. But it seems to be more complicated then that. Your child could drop out of medical school, start drugs, never procreate and maybe he could have never been the one to cure cancer.
As a writer, I can see how a simple step can end in murder, romance, or simply an end. But it took 50+ pages to get there and it was never a straight path.
I would try to donate to a school to allow music to stay, and again, you'd say to promote more doctors curing cancer or world peace. And maybe someday it will amount to that. But if that music class can teach one child to be better, he could become a more respectful manager, and create a company for your children and other's to work at. Since your children are gainfully employeed, they can send your grandchild to medical school, and then cure cancer. Another's could have the oppertunity become a singer, to help sooth people's pain-maybe your grandchild's as he makes it through medical school. Another's could becomes president-who was ironicly cured by your grandchild and as a result creates world peace. But a simple act could have great results we could never know.
Donating can be complicated. As one person noted, it's like picking stocks. As a stock owner, you must understand that your job is to not run the business, but to fund the business and follow it to make sure it is doing it's job. They also say, invest into something you enjoy yourself. I enjoy music, so I might donate into programs that help that. Yet, some say look only at statistics. But you know in writing, irony likes to chase after us, so throw away the idea that your wasting your money away.
Yes, everyone wants a million (or even billion) dollars to not have to worry, but somehow we will always worry. You store it away, but it will never be enough to pay the devil to keep yourself and your loved one's alive. Now, back to our little society, where you could have keep that money for a foot massage, or give it to the shoe maker-who uses it to make better shoes. We will never know what our next problem will be, or who will help the solution, but you make the world a little better somehow it will snowball back to you in ways you will never know.