This
time of year, I remember my dad's motto: Everybody does better when everybody
does better.
This special day got me thinking about America’s spirit of
giving, and I don’t mean this overdone business of Christmas gifts. I mean our
true spirit of giving — giving of ourselves.
Yes, we’re a country of rugged individualists. Yet there’s also
a deep, community-minded streak in each of us. We’re a people who believe in
the notion that we’re all in this together, that we can make our individual
lives better by contributing to the common good.
The establishment media pays little attention to grassroots generosity,
focusing instead on the occasional showy donation by what it calls
“philanthropists” — big tycoons who give a little piece of their billions to
some university or museum in exchange for getting a building named after them.
But in my mind, the real philanthropists are the millions of
ordinary folks who have precious little money to give, but consistently give of
themselves. And they do it without demanding that their name be engraved on a
granite wall.
My own Daddy, rest his soul, was a fine example of this. With half a dozen other guys in Denison, Texas, he started the Little League baseball program, volunteering to build the park, sponsor and coach the teams, run the squawking PA system, etc. etc.
Even after I graduated from Little League, Daddy stayed working
at it, because his involvement wasn’t merely for his kids — but for all.
He felt the same way about being taxed to build a public library
in town. I don’t recall him ever going into that building, much less checking
out a book. But he wanted it to be there for the community, and he was happy to
pay his part. (Not that he was a do-good liberal — indeed, he called himself a
conservative.)
My Daddy didn’t even know he had a political philosophy, but he
did, and it’s the best I’ve ever heard. He would often say to me, “Everybody
does better when everybody does better.”
If only our leaders in Washington and on Wall Street would begin
practicing this true American philosophy.
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator,
writer, and public speaker. He’s also the editor of the populist
newsletter, The Hightower Lowdown. Distributed by OtherWords.org.