The Master and the wealthy man with a bag of gold 💰
A wealthy man came to the Master carrying a bag of gold.
“I want to help the poor.”
“Which poor?”
The man pointed toward a family nearby.
“Them.”
“Why them?”
“They are poor.”
“Are they the poorest?”
The man hesitated,
“Does that matter? I don’t know. But I see them every day.”
The Master smiled.
“So your eyes have decided where your heart should give.”
The man frowned.
“Then where should I look?”
“Farther.”
“How far?”
“Until distance stops deciding whose suffering matters.”
Months later, the man returned.
“I found families in a faraway village I will probably never visit.
The same gold can help many more people there.
And instead of deciding what they need, I can simply give them the money.”
“Would you trust strangers with money?”
The man smiled.
“I trusted myself to decide what to do with it...”
The Master nodded.
“But, Master,” he said, “there will always be someone else I could help.”
“Yes.”
“Then how will I ever know I have given enough?”
The Master glanced at the bag.
“Is that all the gold you have?”
The man laughed.
“Of course not. This is what I can spare.”
The Master smiled.
“Then perhaps you are still asking how to feel good.”
5 September, International Day of Charity 🙏
in honor of Mother Theresa, who said “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one” 💡
Don't know whom to give to? GiveDirectly helps us send money directly to those who need it the most - so they can decide what they need most 🙌
