June 8: #8 Give someone $5
Phil: I accomplished this goal right after accomplishing the previous one. Around 1 a.m. I was talking to a friend about a book I had been raving about for months, and we were struggling to try and figure out how to share it digitally through Apple family sharing. It got to be so confusing and weird that I just, screw this, and bought a digital version of the book and gifted it to this friend. It was $10, so I double win today’s challenge. Giving always comes back to you and it felt appropriate to gift this particular book to this particular person because I felt it would be worth the investment in the long run. Another challenge down.
Bruce: I really like this challenge because it rewires your brain to think about charity as a goal from moment to moment basis. I didn't have any cash on me although I thought of a few different options like where panhandlers were that I know of and where I could possibly just pay for someone's food, drink or toll in a drive-through. Then I looked around on Kickstarter for ideas for people to support and in the suggested list there is one for a podcast and news media outlet of community investigative journalism called "BROOKLYN DEEP” that has gotten rave reviews by its small audience and seemed like it had its heart in the right place, was really trying to do something for good people and give a voice to those who did not have that opportunity by covering events and issues in central Brooklyn. I would really recommend that you check this out and donate a little money, they have 22 days left but were only 30% funded. I kept scrolling down more and saw that there was a "Kevlar iPhone charging cable" and it had 10 days left and was 2200% funded. I was immediately enraged by this contrast and felt saddened by this tawdry representation of where our collective commercial interests and priorities lie. With righteous indignation I happily donated $50 to "Brooklyn Deep" with a hint of vindictiveness towards my vapid peers and shared their page on my Facebook. The Brooklyn Deep 3rd Rail podcast is now subscribed to (and has great feedback). Hopefully they get what they need. The challenge today was perhaps as much a bitter lesson as it was a chance to learn about something that I now feel excited for and feel good that I had the opportunity to learn about something special and possibly make a difference in its trajectory or longevity. Now my phone is dying and I can’t find my charger cable… I certainly won’t be picking up a Kevlar one… but the quote “ideas are bulletproof” as I remember it from Alan Moore’s V For Vendetta comes to mind.
Tomorrow's challenge: #5 Read/reflect on the lyrics to a song chosen by the other person