Saturday, April 26, 2008

What would you do with a lot of money?

Someone asked me last night what I would do if I got a lot of money. "I'd give it away." They said, "Wouldn't you buy a big house?" I said, "I'd buy a space big enough for me and Elisabeth and give the rest away." In disbelief, the next question was "To who?" It's such an easy response, "I have five kids. They all could use some help. And if I were to build a big house, it would be for other people to live in. You know, that woman who lives under the bridge because her child is male and he's not allowed in family shelters after a certain age. Or the Black guy who did drugs and got caught, went to prison, has a felony drug conviction and can't get education funds, public assistance or housing assitance. The White guy he got arrested with got his charge reduced and was on probation for six months. Never lost his job. Or maybe the lady who thinks the only thing she has that's worth anything is her vagina. You know, that woman who sells it rather than having it stolen. The woman who was once a child who is now picking at her skin, selling her genitals for a hit of crack. She is someone's child." The conversation ended there. People hate asking me random questions. The problem is, no one thinks anymore. No one considers "what if"....So consider, what would you do if you got a lot of money? If your answers don't include your ENTIRE community, you need to think again. Because the choices you make, affect everyone around you. The whole pebble in the water theory. When you spend recklessly without thought to the prisoners who make your clothes and your license plates, when you drive to work alone every day rather than take the bus or car pool, when you would rather go into debt to carry a Coach purse than contribute to the well-being of someone in your community, you need to think again. So, what would you do if you suddenly came upon a lot of money?

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