Larry Stewart's Legacy

Two weeks after his death, I’m still thinking about Larry Stewart, the "Secret Santa" who, over 26 years, gave away more than a million dollars to strangers in need. Back in November, I asked Benevolent Planet’s Everyday Altruists to send anonymous sentiments to Mr. Stewart, and reports indicate that he did, in fact, receive thousands of well-wishes in the weeks before he died. I hope yours was among them.

While Larry Stewart’s deeds were inspiring in themselves, I find his "backstory" even more compelling. He was moved to his habit of giving by experiencing desperate need himself, and the overwhelming gratitude that comes when a stranger lends a hand. You can read the story in this article by columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr.

This isn’t the first time I’ve learned of someone whose own struggle switched on the light of compassion for others. It’s easier to put yourself in someone else’s shoes when you’ve worn a similar pair yourself. You understand things that people in more comfortable shoes simply can’t, at least not on the gut level that helps you respond in exactly the right way.

This is why, I would suggest, President Bush’s plan for making health insurance affordable through tax credits is misguided. The well-off routinely look to tax relief as a means for keeping more of their money; the poor earn too little to owe even the value of the proposed credit. Even if they did, they can’t afford a premium every month that they hope to recoup at tax time. And like everything else they must buy to survive, health insurance will be competing with food and housing on their meager budgets, and it will continue to be a lower priority.

Anyone who has had to drop health insurance to afford rent and groceries understands this. George Bush has never been there. Larry Stewart has. And if you have, recognize that you are divinely qualified for the important work of uplifting others, in the smallest but most powerful ways.

Read and sign Larry Stewart’s Legacy guestbook.

Rosie and Donald Need a Time-Out

Before I talk -- very briefly, promise -- about the truly shameful "feud" between Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donnell, I want to apologize for being away from this blog for far too long. I've been working hard to spread the Benevolent Planet philosophy via national magazine articles, Web publications and media companies, so that our community of Everyday Altruists continues to grow and intensify its energies. I may be asking some of you, in the monthly e-newsletter, in our forum and on this blog, to contribute your experiences from time to time, so please do check in.

Now, on to the nastiness. My take is simple: Going spontaneously for the cheap laugh, Rosie lost sight of the fact that a man is often every bit as sensitive about his hair loss as a woman is about her weight. Jokes at the expense of another are never all that funny. Donald Trump's response, however, is beyond cruel, and his excuse of it as "just being honest" is even less excusable. Those who confuse honesty with hateful words intended to wound are as dishonest as they come. I find it particularly shameful that children are being exposed to this juvenile war of words between adults, and that Trump is currently featured in a "The More You Know" public service ad that discourages kids from smoking. I would imagine that his credibility, even with kids, is shot, and that using him as a role model is a terrible error in judgment.

Which brings me to the entertainment media, whose role in this, I would suggest, is the least admirable of all. If they hadn't reported it, it never would have gained ground, and we -- and our kids -- wouldn't have been exposed to it. If they hadn't gleefully broadcast every letter and repeated every exchange, neither party would have enjoyed the brighter spotlight and the whole thing would have been contained as brief industry gossip. Rosie and The Donald may have revealed their most childish selves, but the media, by treating us like children cheering on two playground bullies, have proven just how much growing up they have to do.