World We Dare to Imagine Part 1
The quote and The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz made me think about my dad. My dad grew up in poverty. My grandma passed away from cancer when my dad was just fourteen because our family didn’t have enough money to cover her medical treatment. But despite growing up in poverty and being painfully aware of the tribulations that come with poverty, my dad doesn’t like charity and blindly giving to the poor. My dad used to say to me: “Our family grew up poor because we had no choice. But many others are poor because they were stupid, reckless, selfish, or self-destructive.” My dad was trying to explain that poverty is not a black-and-white matter. Charity shouldn’t be simply about giving money to the poor. After all, some poor people—like my great-grandfather, who gambled away his wife, kids, and all our family possessions—don’t deserve even a cent from charity. If we want to alleviate poverty, we should help the right people and do things that can lead to long-lasting, sustainable...