its a wonderful life

i have been so busy with school over the last few months, i hadn't really had the time to stop and appreciate everything that was going on around me.

as i am nearing the end of my undergraduate degree, hey, im gonna graduate next october!!! ive been thinking alot about the future and also success. i think that one of the keys to a bright future is to balance personal success with generosity.

i read some work by max weber the other day that struck me as odd. he wrote about how capitalism came about through the religion of protestantism. the prostestants' believed that any man who was successful was so because God had smiled down upon him.

"success is the noblest gift of heaven" - euripides

with his wealth however came a responsibility not to spend that wealth on himself, but to give it away. buying luxeries for oneself was not what God had intended when bestowing wealth upon someone. so the wealthy decided to take the money earned and give some away to others, and take the rest and invest it back into their company. this was the roots of capitalism. so capitalism was built not upon greed, but generosity. This is far from what we know capitalism to be today.

i think much can be taken from this. while i don't agree that wealth should not be spent on the person who makes it, i do think that we should balance what we spend on ourselves, and what we give to others. i think it is ok to buy yourself the things you like to make you happy. in my case, im getting a new PC this christmas for myself. people work hard for their money, and deserve the luxuries it brings. but they should also do their part in helping others, because they have been blessed with everything given to them. each of us has the responsibility to do what we can to help others. so why then are there so many people who dont?

perhaps it is because there are so many people in this world that need help from others that we get overwhelmed, and don't know where to start. however, sitting back and doing nothing only adds to the problem. i think the key is to not let it overwhelm you. as some tv host would always say, "do what you can do"

in that spirit, i decided to do something which i think fits perfectly in the holiday season. im allotting an amount for our church's future site.