Quote of the Day -- Carl Sagan

It is morally as bad not to care whether a thing is true or not, so long as it makes you feel good, as it is not to care how you got your money, so long as you have got it.

-- Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World

Pay It Forward and Philanthropic Shopping

On a whim, I decided to research the origin of the expression "pay it forward" and found an interesting article in wikipedia, my go-to knowledge source. I found that the expression was popularized by Robert Heinlein in his 1951 novel Between Planets:

The banker reached into the folds of his gown, pulled out a single credit note. "But eat first—a full belly steadies the judgment. Do me the honor of accepting this as our welcome to the newcomer."

His pride said no; his stomach said YES! Don took it and said, "Uh, thanks! That's awfully kind of you. I'll pay it back, first chance."

"Instead, pay it forward to some other brother who needs it."

The idea has blossomed into a movement and even a foundation. And like so many good ideas, it now seems like common sense. What good does it due to "pay back" someone who really doesn't need repayment. Isn't it far better to help someone else with the funds or influence when you have them?

And this got me thinking about shopping and whether there is a "buy it forward" equivalent. Searching for "philanthropic shopping" yielded retailers who specialize in fair trade goods or who donate a percent of their profits to charity.  But I'm thinking more of the trade-off between frugality and spending, when the spending might actually be a "buy it forward" gesture.

For example, I love to read. I love bookstores. And I'm seldom able to leave a bookstore without at least one new purchase. This feels frivolous to me when there is a perfectly good library close to my home that offers the convenience of reserving books online. And yet... I think there is value in supporting authors by actually purchasing their books. This is especially true for authors of somewhat obscure but high-quality books who haven't broken through the noise of the best-seller world. So I assuage my conscience by getting popular fiction from the library but purchasing quite a few books as well.

Similarly, there is a strong movement among the so called "educated elite" (and that label isn't considered a compliment by the labelers) to support quality journalism by subscribing to newspapers and magazines. Apparently, subscription rates are increasing, especially among millennials, who typically expect information to be free. Clearly, they are "buying it forward."

And finally, when traveling in developing countries, I feel compelled to purchase local arts and crafts. Of course, I love to have them hanging on our walls and adorning our shelves. But I also feel like I am doing good... buying it forward. And I've been "doing good" all over the world with my pocketbook.

Recently, we had the good fortune to make two brief stops on a southern Mediterranean cruise, in Tunisia and Algeria. In Algeria, we were one of the first large ships to visit and they were still gearing up for tourism. Our visit was heavily guarded and tightly controlled. We had absolutely no opportunity to spend a single cent. People were thrilled to see us and waved at our buses with appreciation, but I felt badly that I couldn't "buy it forward."

Worse, in Tunisia, we did have the opportunity to visit a village. We trouped through the streets, past many shops and stands. They were clearly delighted that tourism was resuming. But our leader took us to an "approved" store and gave us only a few minutes to wander elsewhere. I was devastated and felt like an ugly American. I think it was part of our obligation as affluent tourists to reward their work by buying some of their wares. When we returned to the ship, I went out to the stalls in the port and purchased several items. I felt a bit better but still gave my two-cents worth on my critique of the visit.

Maybe I'm rationalizing, but as someone fortunate enough to have disposable income and to be able to travel, I think that "buying it forward" is an important philosophy.

Quote of the Day -- Mark Twain

An uneasy conscience is a hair in the mouth.

-- Mark Twain

Quote of the Day -- Maria Shriver

If we can't be kind to one another, then we're never going to be able to work together, to build happiness together, or move this world forward together.

-- Maria Shriver

Quote of the Day -- Anne Lamott

Laughter lifts the phonograph needle out of the scratches on my heart's album.

-- Anne Lamott, 

from Some Assembly Required

Quote of the Day -- Freya Stark

I have no reason to go, except that I have never been, and knowledge is better than ignorance. What better reason could there be for traveling?

-- Freya Stark

Quote of the Day -- Gustave Flaubert

Travel makes one modest.  You realize what a tiny place you occupy in the world.

-- Gustave Flaubert

Quote of the Day -- Will Schwalbe

Books remain one of the strongest bulwarks we have against tyranny -- but only as long as people are free to read all different kinds of books, and only as long as they actually do so. The right to read whatever you want whenever you want is one of the fundamental rights that helps preserve all the other rights. It's a right we need to guard with unwavering diligence. But it's also a right we can guard with pleasure.  Reading isn't just a strike against narrowness, mind control, and domination: It's one of the world's greatest joys.

-- Will Schwalbe, from Books for Living

YOLO -- You Only Live Once

A friend recently posted a lovely tribute on Facebook to a much-loved aunt who died at an advanced age after living a full life. She fondly remembers that her aunt often told her "Dawn honey, do things and go places while you can - there's plenty of time at the end to sit and remember, give yourself something to remember."

We've tried to live by that advice, even before we retired and definitely since. Jim's health scares have certainly contributed to our "don't wait until it's too late" philosophy of seeing the world. But even before that... 

25+ years ago when Christie was in preschool, the father of one of her teachers died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack. He had retired just a few years before, and her parents were looking forward to seeing the world together. Suddenly her mom was faced with the prospect of seeing the world without him or giving up her dreams of travel. That made an impression.

Closer to home, when my dad was 73, he suffered a grand mal seizure for unknown reasons. It fried enough of his brain cells to permanently alter his capabilities and my parents' lifestyle. Yet another reminder of "don't wait until it's too late."

Just this week-end, we celebrated my brother's birthday with a lovely relaxed meal and conversation. In the course of the conversation, he discovered we have never been to Ireland and was appalled. It is, of course, someplace that we want to see, but his comment made me think about our priorities. We've worked our way through most of a traditional bucket list of places (Great Wall, Stonehenge, Taj Mahal, Paris, London, Rome...), but that only adds to our list of places to see.

For now, we're mostly choosing the more exotic places or the places that require exceedingly long flights (like our upcoming trip to New Zealand and Australia). We have yet to see "the Stans," Namibia, Indonesia, Patagonia, or even Japan, to name just a few. Ireland might just have to wait while we work our way through the more challenging destinations.

YOLO!

Quote of the Day -- Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers 
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

-- Emily Dickinson