https://www.positive.news/society/the-generosity-experiment/
"Most of us, we would like to think, would help out a relative, a friend and
perhaps even a stranger in need. Maybe giving directions or lending a few quid.
But how many of us would donate one of our organs to someone we will never
meet?
That is exactly what Tom Cledwyn did in 2012. Since then, his life has been
shaped by acts of generosity towards strangers, culminating in Drop Dead
Generous, a social experiment giving 1,000 people $500 (£378) each to spend on
helping others in creative ways. Backed by an anonymous philanthropist, the
project is part grant scheme, part provocation: what happens if you trust
people to be generous?
Cledwyn donated his kidney at 25, after reading about Kay Mason, the first
person in the UK to give a kidney to a stranger.
“I read the article and didn’t think about it. It just felt like a very
profound opportunity,” he says. After a year of medical and psychological
assessments, he went through with it.
“The feeling I had when I woke up from that operation is something I want other
people to experience.” Cledwyn is not the zealot you might expect. Thoughtful
and measured, he says the act was a privilege.
“It was an honour to be able to do it. And the same applies to all forms of
giving. It doesn’t have to be a kidney. It can be a smile, some time, or being
there when someone is struggling,” he says. “The experience of giving is the
closest thing I’ve experienced to something that really matters.
“I knew I’d get minimal feedback and would never meet the recipient. That felt
important too, doing something without seeing the outcome.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
