Thursday, July 16, 2015




Sometimes,

I get so tired



of human voices,


droning on

and on.




Saturday, July 11, 2015




I really do not approve of the tactic of asking people for a donation for some charity when they are checking out of a store, particularly a grocery store.

It can be very hard to say no.

It is designed to shame people into donating and I think that is reprehensible.


There was a time in my life when funds were really tight.  I had $30 a week to spend on food.  I took a calculator to the store with me and added up each item as I put it in my cart, then if there were things I needed more I would put things back on the shelf and subtract that amount, on like this until I had as much food as I could get for my $30 but no more.

To then be embarrassed at check-out being asked for money that simply was not there is cruel.


I feel the same way about charity drives in the workplace when someone gets self-righteous about it.  I remember hearing the line, "But it's for charity," so often.  It's not up to other people to decide how much money someone has or how they should spend it or what charity they might choose to donate to.   Even if you know someone's salary you don't know what obligations (medical expenses, loans, support for someone else, legal problems) that they might be coping with and how harmful donating even a small amount might be at that particular time.


I'm not saying I don't approve of charities, I do.  But I do believe that donating is a personal choice and should never be a matter of coercion or shaming.