(no subject)
On a friend's LJ entry, she mentioned doing a favor for someone in need. She asked the rhetorical question: "Who does things like that?".
We're talking about the Art of Philanthropy, here. Along the line of thinking know as: Random acts of kindness, and senseless acts of beauty. I feel qualified to speak on this topic because I am a Philanthropist. Which means I do things like that, and I have been performing such free lance social work on a regular basis for at least the last 16 years.
Seeing as how I rarely post anything in my own Live Journal, I decided to address this topic in today's LJ, as opposed to posting my reply as a response inside of her LJ.
During the 8 years I spent living in Honolulu, Hawaii, I ran a very lucrative business dumpster diving, and selling the rescued valuables at the Swap Meet. I was making serious BANK -- enough to hire a crew, rent multiple storage lockers, rent a U-Haul truck to move it all to market, as well as three parking spaces at the King Kamehameha Drive-In Theater.
Sure, I was running a legitimate business, and making a healthy profit. So where did I find time squeeze in these so-called acts of philanthropic generosity, one might ask? I saw so much poverty all around me, while living in the Hawaiian islands, that I often choose to give things away to those in need, instead of selling it to the highest bidder, that's how. I'd interview my friends and acquaintances, finding out what they had, what they needed, and if they were open to my delivering these items to them. Sometimes, I'd just invite them by my locker space, to view the goods in question. T'was much easier got me, actually, and it allowed them the chance to say: "No thank you!" without putting me out. Some folks feared my trash may not be quite the treasure I made it out to be.
So here I'll list some of my BEST all-time dumpster dive scores, for your inspection:
1) A solid wood cabinet which turned out to be real Hawaiian Koa beneath the bad paint job.
2) An 18 Carat Gold ring, of Celtic Ring-of-Life design. It includes elements of both flora and fauna in it, and I get compliments from people who notice it's unique beauty.
3) A beautiful, Japanese style pagoda lamp, made from genuine Mother-of-Pearl seashells. Perfect condition; undamaged. It's a lot like a stained glass window, except it's three dimensional, not flat. The organic shape resembles that of a jellyfish. Furthermore, it has lengths of round bangles on a chain, all of which are also made of Mother-of-Pearl shell. This material is a translucent white, with subtle shades of pastel pinks and blues in it. It absolutely comes alive when lit from the inside.
4) All the hardware parts needed to put together a Scientific Laboratory. It actually was a genuine education lab, dismantled and thrown away. This kind of hardware is God-awful expensive when you have to buy it full retail; even at wholesale it'll cost an arm and a leg. Natural Gas fittings are useful in putting together any industrial operation which uses piped gas lines. Regulator valves are useful in oxy-acetylene welding, or they can be adapted for scuba diving.
5) Survival Clothing: Felson wool hunting vest. German wool army pants, complete with plastic liners at the knee, suitable for kneeling down to shoot in snow. Several wool Navy Pea Coats, many of them I gave a way again as freely as I found them. COST: $125 at our local Army Surplus outlet. Multiple Pendelton wool shirts, other assorted wool jackets, and most recently a brand new Columbia Rain Jacket, Pentium model.
I'm done for now...
We're talking about the Art of Philanthropy, here. Along the line of thinking know as: Random acts of kindness, and senseless acts of beauty. I feel qualified to speak on this topic because I am a Philanthropist. Which means I do things like that, and I have been performing such free lance social work on a regular basis for at least the last 16 years.
Seeing as how I rarely post anything in my own Live Journal, I decided to address this topic in today's LJ, as opposed to posting my reply as a response inside of her LJ.
During the 8 years I spent living in Honolulu, Hawaii, I ran a very lucrative business dumpster diving, and selling the rescued valuables at the Swap Meet. I was making serious BANK -- enough to hire a crew, rent multiple storage lockers, rent a U-Haul truck to move it all to market, as well as three parking spaces at the King Kamehameha Drive-In Theater.
Sure, I was running a legitimate business, and making a healthy profit. So where did I find time squeeze in these so-called acts of philanthropic generosity, one might ask? I saw so much poverty all around me, while living in the Hawaiian islands, that I often choose to give things away to those in need, instead of selling it to the highest bidder, that's how. I'd interview my friends and acquaintances, finding out what they had, what they needed, and if they were open to my delivering these items to them. Sometimes, I'd just invite them by my locker space, to view the goods in question. T'was much easier got me, actually, and it allowed them the chance to say: "No thank you!" without putting me out. Some folks feared my trash may not be quite the treasure I made it out to be.
So here I'll list some of my BEST all-time dumpster dive scores, for your inspection:
1) A solid wood cabinet which turned out to be real Hawaiian Koa beneath the bad paint job.
2) An 18 Carat Gold ring, of Celtic Ring-of-Life design. It includes elements of both flora and fauna in it, and I get compliments from people who notice it's unique beauty.
3) A beautiful, Japanese style pagoda lamp, made from genuine Mother-of-Pearl seashells. Perfect condition; undamaged. It's a lot like a stained glass window, except it's three dimensional, not flat. The organic shape resembles that of a jellyfish. Furthermore, it has lengths of round bangles on a chain, all of which are also made of Mother-of-Pearl shell. This material is a translucent white, with subtle shades of pastel pinks and blues in it. It absolutely comes alive when lit from the inside.
4) All the hardware parts needed to put together a Scientific Laboratory. It actually was a genuine education lab, dismantled and thrown away. This kind of hardware is God-awful expensive when you have to buy it full retail; even at wholesale it'll cost an arm and a leg. Natural Gas fittings are useful in putting together any industrial operation which uses piped gas lines. Regulator valves are useful in oxy-acetylene welding, or they can be adapted for scuba diving.
5) Survival Clothing: Felson wool hunting vest. German wool army pants, complete with plastic liners at the knee, suitable for kneeling down to shoot in snow. Several wool Navy Pea Coats, many of them I gave a way again as freely as I found them. COST: $125 at our local Army Surplus outlet. Multiple Pendelton wool shirts, other assorted wool jackets, and most recently a brand new Columbia Rain Jacket, Pentium model.
I'm done for now...