Over at Daily Stoic, we're trying to come together to feed THREE MILLION people! Rather than give in to the materialism and selfishness of Cyber Monday, we're once again teaming up with Feeding America to contribute to something larger than ourselves.
Every dollar we raise provides 10 meals to those who need it. Read on for more info or head here to donate now!
We got together with family. We reminded ourselves what was important. We enjoyed the bounties of the Earth. Perhaps when we took the rolls out of the oven we noted, as Marcus Aurelius did in Meditations, the way the bread cracks open on top, a nod to nature's inadvertence.
We counted our blessings and gave thanks.
And then what did we do?
The very next day, millions of us disregarded all of our appreciation for the good things we've been given in life—food, family, and friends—to lose ourselves in a frenzy of Black Friday! And now, back at the office, millions more do the same with Cyber Monday deals. Instead of taking a minute to consider that not everyone is as fortunate as us, we're trying to save a fortune on a TV or a new phone or god knows what else.
Meanwhile, the families already reeling from the rising costs of living and groceries, who got laid off, who had their benefits cut, who went hungry as SNAP funds were used as political leverage, what are they doing? Just trying to get by. Trying to make impossible, unthinkable decisions about how they're going to feed and take care of the people they love this holiday season. More than 47 million people in America are food insecure, including nearly 14 million children…and yet today Americans will spend $14.2 billion on Cyber Monday deals.
How quickly we traded presence for presents, traded being with family for fighting with strangers to get a better spot in line for more stuff we don't need…when there are people—children—out there who aren't getting their very basic needs met.
It's crazy.
What would the world look like if we took seriously the reminder Marcus often gave himself—that we are put here for each other, to do good and to help each other? The great fortune of his life, he says at one point in Meditations, is not just that he himself has never known serious want, it's that he's been lucky enough to always be able to give to those in need.
If you've been blessed, be a blessing!
People know Ilka as "the grandma of the world" because she loves everybody as though they were her own grandchildren. This year, Ilka visited Topeka's Open Arms Outreach Ministries pantry, where her family received a turkey, macaroni, greens, cornbread, and other traditional holiday fixings.
We didn't quite hit our goal of 3 million meals, but we are keeping that goal this year with the hopes you can help us get there. Our overall goal is to raise $300,000 (Daily Stoic put in the first $30,000). Every dollar you contribute provides 10 meals, so if we hit our goal, that will be THREE MILLION meals.
Head over to dailystoic.com/feeding—together, we can make a significant dent in a big problem.
Let us be good Stoics today and prove that we don't just talk about this philosophy—we live it.
P.S. If you live outside the U.S., check out Action Against Hunger—the global humanitarian organization that fights against hunger across nearly 50 countries.
