The fun factor of charitable donating

What do you do for fun? While many enjoy sports or campus organizations, others drink caffeine-laced energy drinks or have unprotected sex. Some smoke illegal substances or listen to music through ear phones at sufficient volume to be audible ten feet away. A few students engage in another harmful practice: campaigning for Hillary Clinton. Most of these are not serious offenses (except campaigning for Hillary) but they represent an unhealthy type of fun. Of course those who partake in these behaviors are loathe to take advice to the contrary. So surprise, I won't give advice; I'll just point out a few facts.

Caffeine is addictive and gets the body revved up, only to precipitate a big crash a few hours later. Unprotected sex may lead to STDs and possibly pregnancy, both of which are life-altering events. Smokin' da 'erb brings carcinogens into the lungs and throat while destroying brain cells at the same time. Listening to music at excessively high levels will gradually erode a person's ability to hear anything at all, which in the case of Hillary's speeches, might be a good thing. But while some of these ideas may seem like fun, all are unwise in the long term. In place of these questionable and/or illegal pastimes, why not do something that is really fun? Something that provides a genuine buzz?

Give stuff away! You probably have a closetful of old clothing, a toaster you don't use anymore, maybe even a bicycle that still works. Goodwill and The Salvation Army would love to get these items to people who really need them. The rule is "If you haven't worn it in five years, you're not going to wear it." Old cell phones can be donated to battered women's shelters. There are several non-profits like Cherry Street Mission that will come to your door to haul away unwanted furniture. I have seen people scavenging the piles of donations left outside these places and these are folks who need basic items like blankets and children's clothing desperately.

Owning less stuff provides a wonderful feeling of freedom. Very Zen, very cleansing. People who quietly donate unused items differentiate themselves from those egocentric Hollywood windbags who have to hold a press conference before they will part with a nickel. Be a secret giver. It's a real rush.

Beyond material possessions, we can also donate our time. One can choose to work with Make A Wish, a food bank, homeless shelter or the Toledo Sight Center. Churches do a lot of good work. There are dozens of charitable groups in Toledo that would appreciate a few hours a week. If you play a musical instrument or sing, call up a senior center and offer to come in and entertain for an hour. Don't do this because it allows you to brag to your friends about how generous you are; do it because of the natural high you get from acting unselfishly.

Some people prefer to write a check or drop cash into a charity collection box, and that's fine. But when we donate money, there may be many levels of bureaucracy between us and the person on the receiving end. The thousands of Americans who went to New Orleans and helped Hurricane Katrina victims did more than all those hopeless bureaucrats at FEMA could ever accomplish with their millions of dollars.

When we are 20 years old, it's hard to imagine that life will ever end. But as one ages it becomes obvious that the goal of this game is not to collect the most chips. Helping others by our donations of time, belongings or money is a much more intense high than can be obtained by drinking a whole six-pack of Red Bull. It sounds corny, but helping others is the real fun factor in this life.