One of the best books on philanthropy is Give Smart: Philanthropy that Gets Results, by Tom Tierney and Joel Fleishman. Witty and eloquent, as well as passionate, erudite, and practical. One thing they say goes around and around in my head: Philanthropy is related to love, but "love is blind." Meaning that we also need to plan prudently for best results from any given investment of time, money, or effort. Agreed. Point made. Point taken.
But what all is blind?
- Love is blind
- Faith is blind
- Hope is blind
- Fate is blind
- Justice is blind
And the list of God's attributes, all blind as a stump, goes on and on. Prophets and tragic heroes, all are blind. Sometimes even I as a Theorist have been blind, without recognizing it until later.
When aggregate net positive results for our planet are not going to come, or will come too late, maybe we had all better be blind, or go mad. Only blind love, and faith, allows for blind hope. And without blind hope, how can we lift our hands to support the results we know will not suffice without divine intervention? Maybe delusion is better than blindness. At least blind optimism keeps us positive.
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