@Daniel. said in Siberia?:
As an aside, Big Al, I'm curious to know if you think money buys the most happiness when you give it away?
Yes, I do, Daniel. I think it is an idea that was ingrained in me at an early age, particularly by my father. I sometimes accompanied him when he would take a box of food to someone who was out of work or some surplus clothing or furniture to a family who had suffered a disaster. He and my mother donated to causes they believed in, even though we were far from wealthy. We lived on a dairy farm in eastern Ohio with my paternal grandparents and we never had cause to go hungry, but we didn't have a lot of cash to spend on luxuries.
My sister sometimes resented some things my father did, saying that he was wasting his time and money on useless bums. Sometimes, that was probably true, but knowing that before doing something to help them wasn't always possible and only became apparent after the fact. That also made me subscribe to the old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
I've been fortunate enough in my own life to seldom really be down and out, but I've had enough dry periods that I could wonder where the next dollar was coming from. I have some empathy for those who are closer to that circumstance more often. I can also appreciate how a small kindness can make a big difference in a person's day, whatever form that kindness might take.
I also support a variety of civic institutions through donations and memberships because I think they enrich the community and I would be sorry to see than shrink or vanish, Many of them offered free or discounted admissions to youth and students and I think that is valuable. I know I welcomed such opportunities when I was young.
Big Al
