- Paul Roberts on Feeding the hungry has negative ROI: “I hate the parable/story of the kid throwing starfish back into the water mainly because you don’t hear it about some kid throwing jellyfish back; and, both starfish and jellyfish would/will otherwise die on the beach, but the starfish are viewed as somehow more deserving of help. That said, if all you do is help one person or thing while a million more go unaided, that’s still not insignificant to the one helped–whether your help is acknowledged or not.” Feb 15, 07:34
- on Feeding the hungry has negative ROI: “You will then understand that it is indeed “more blessed to give than to receive.” But the giving must be of the heart without any taint of self, without desire for reward. The gift of pure love is always attended with bliss. If, after you have given, you are wounded because you are not thanked or flattered, or your name put in the paper, know then that your gift was prompted by vanity and not by love, and you were merely giving in order to get; were not really giving, but grasping. Lose yourself in the welfare of others; forget yourself in all that you do; this is the secret of abounding happiness. James Allen 1901” Feb 13, 17:29
- on Feeding the hungry has negative ROI: “To clarify, there is nothing satirical about this. Often the people we need to serve are not particularly sympathetic and not positioned to turn their lives around. There’s certainly a need for other kinds of service as well, for the health and educational and financial programs that let people gain an education and climb out of poverty. But that still leaves a lot of cases where no one is going to be grateful for what you’ve done. It’s best to be aware of that in advance so you aren’t disappointed when no one notices, at least not in a positive way.” Feb 13, 15:20
- on Feeding the hungry has negative ROI: “And sadly in some situations more often than not, that drowning seaman you set out to rescue will pull you down into the abyss with them. Or the surrounding waves and rocks will leave you more battered than if you just concentrated on your own sailing.” Feb 13, 15:10
- on Feeding the hungry has negative ROI: “I honestly can’t tell if this is sincere or extremely well-crafted satire. I’m assuming satire, but in both views you’ve managed to avoid obvious malice. My only quibble, given that ROI is the framing, is that even a strictly-secular financier-type might recognize the positive ROI of a short-term cost (providing food or shelter) preventing a deeper cost (chronic hospitalization), as well as the nearly infinite ROI of small acts of generosity becoming lives well-lived and shared outward. And those indecipherable texts contain enlightenments of humanity that we have not yet developed the capacity to comprehend.” Feb 13, 11:41
- on Feeding the hungry has negative ROI: “I keep composing and deleting responses to this. Nothing I write seems adequate. I guess all I can say is thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.” Feb 13, 09:02
- on How Many Stakes Worth of Immigrants Are There in the Church in the US?: “Fascinating thought experiment. I would love to get data on this from around the world. I recall reading somewhere that about 25% of church membership in Europe are immigrants, but unfortunately I can’t confirm that. I would assume that’s the high water mark, but I think Australia might also have a fairly high percentage of immigrants from other parts of Oceania.” Feb 13, 06:28
- on Feeding the hungry has negative ROI: “34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Feb 13, 06:00
- on How Many Stakes Worth of Immigrants Are There in the Church in the US?: “Wouldn’t it be crazy if there was a mutually strengthening effect from immigration. It’s almost as if we have books of scripture about various people migrating, being led by the hand of God. Sorry if I trigger any of my fellow conservatives, many of them now firming entrenched statists because #winningtrumpsprinciple And he said unto the servant: Behold, the branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moisture of the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength; and because of the much strength of the root thereof the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit. Now, if we had not grafted in these branches, the tree thereof would have perished.” Feb 12, 23:53
