You're rich, now what?

absolutely not.

Do you think more good people are philanthropists or non-philanthropists?

i consider a moral obligation as something that my morals would lead me to believe I would do...do I personally think that charity is a moral obligation? Yes I do. Doesn't mean the next Joe, Schneed or Malcolm does...and that's cool. that is certainly your preogative. that is a problem with humans in general. most cannot disassociate themselves to form a valid opinion, and realize that your opinion may not be right or wrong. there is always room for gray area...you certainly do not always have to be right.

my morality leads me to believe that giving of yourself for charitable reasons is obligatory. for if you do not give, who will?

You. ;)

J/K

This is definitely one of those areas where it is completely subjective and I too, feel that I should help charity. I don't know if this is out of obligation or not. It's one of those natural reactions because of how I was raised.

i consider a moral obligation as something that my morals would lead me to believe I would do...do I personally think that charity is a moral obligation? Yes I do. Doesn't mean the next Joe, Schneed or Malcolm does...and that's cool. that is certainly your preogative. that is a problem with humans in general. most cannot disassociate themselves to form a valid opinion, and realize that your opinion may not be right or wrong. there is always room for gray area...you certainly do not always have to be right.

my morality leads me to believe that giving of yourself for charitable reasons is obligatory. for if you do not give, who will?

That's cool, I admire that you're able to not press your views on somebody who doesn't believe the same thing you do.

You should check out the Terri Schiavo thread. At the end of the thread we got all Socrates about personal belief systems.

http://www.thewarpath.net/showthread.php?t=5542&page=3&pp=10

Do you think more good people are philanthropists or non-philanthropists?
Good is such a generalized term...I personally think "Good" people realize that they should give of themselves, and would be more philanthropic. However, not being philanthropic doesn't make you a bad person automatically.

schneed...i've been keeping up with the Schiavo thread...i even have a post in there somewhere. i quite honestly believe neither side is doing what is best for Terri, and since the law has been brought into the equasion, and they have made their decisions, that it's best to follow what is says and move on.

Yeah it's impossible for us to know what is best for her, unless she had left a living will. We have no idea what she wanted.

Anyway, giving your time and money is a very admirable thing to do. I just hope that whoever is the recipient truly appreciates it. If I gave to someone and they didn't thank me or show appreciation, I'd never give to them again. I'm not a fan of ingrates. That's not to say that if I give then that person owes me something in return, giving doesn't mean you own the recipient. All I expect is basic common courtesy: a thank you and genuine appreciation.

"Burn me once, shame on you, burn me twice, shame on me"

Anyway, giving your time and money is a very admirable thing to do. I just hope that whoever is the recipient truly appreciates it. ...


Well, mainly it's the hookers on Hollywood and Vine, but if I'm particularly flush one week I'll pick up the local Yellow Pages and spring for an escort. They always seem to be appreciative. Oh, and strippers.

do the wealthy have a moral obligation to be philanthropic? sure...just as the rest of us do. whether it's spare change in the collection basket each Sunday, or a $100,000 check to Jerry's Kids, or volunteering to coach a youth league, i believe we all have a moral obligation to provide what we can to those who need it.

some can provide more (time and/or money) than others...but i feel that we are still obliged to provide what we can, when we can do so.

Great way to put it, everyone should feel obligated to lend a helping hand whenever possible.

Great way to put it, everyone should feel obligated to lend a helping hand whenever possible.

I can't agree here. If you feel obligated, that means you feel it's your personal responsibility to help, which goes against the very definition of the words generosity and philanthropy.

If someone gives of themselves, I look at them with admiration. I don't view them as someone simply doing their job. After all, fulfilling an obligation is the same thing as doing your job.

Of course it's a tax shelter. When you donate money to your community you are in a sense, paying taxes.