Wasting my Time with LEGO (and Loving it)

[zenaiid]

Hello good people of eurobricks forums,

I am a long-time LEGO fan, played with it since I was a kid and rediscovered it being an adult. But ever since the passing of my "dark ages", maybe even when I was a child, I thought about the justification of that particular hobby.

The thing is, with all that misery in the world, people suffering from hunger and poverty, lacking of freedom and what not, how can I justify spending my precious money and time on plastic bricks? Shouldn't I rather support charity organizations by donating money or even working for them? Isn't spending dozens and hundreds of dollars/euros for my very own amusement somehow terribly wrong?

You know what I would like to hear from you, that this is a hobby like all the others, and that spending time and money is inevitable. But somehow I feel like this particular free time diversion is more useless to society than all the rest, and that I should think more altruistic.

Nevertheless I love reminiscing about my childhood, letting my fantasy roam free and constructing creative models only for the satisfaction of having done so.

Maybe you can reflect yourself and post your unique view on this topic, so that I may escape from my limited point of view and enjoy my bricks again. (That's somehow melodramatic for a change...)

I wish you an enchanted evening.

[Asuka]

[The] social point of view cannot tolerate the notion of rights, for such notion rests on individualism. We are born under a load of obligations of every kind, to our predecessors, to our successors, to our contemporaries. After our birth these obligations increase or accumulate, for it is some time before we can return any service.... This ["to live for others"], the definitive formula of human morality, gives a direct sanction exclusively to our instincts of benevolence, the common source of happiness and duty. [Man must serve] Humanity, whose we are entirely.

Auguste Comte

Summing up the formal characteristic of play, we might call it a free activity standing quite consciously outside ‘ordinary’ life as being ‘not serious’ but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It is an activity connected with no material interest, and no profit can be gained by it. It proceeds within its own proper boundaries of time and space according to fixed rules and in an orderly manner. It promotes the formation of social groupings that tend to surround themselves with secrecy and to stress the difference from the common world by disguise or other means.

Johan Huizinga

The third category, object play (which is fairly self-explanatory) overlaps with predatory play considerably, as the previous examples demonstrate, but not entirely. For instance, bird stick-play may serve to develop nest-building skills. Non-predatory object play, however, has been manifested primarily by the primates, and to the greatest extent by the primates most closely related to humans. The increased complexity and dexterity of the hands of these species, as well as longer periods of maturation and an increased capacity for learning, may explain this trend. (...)

Piecing together an evolutionary explanation of play from the hundreds of examples in the scientific record has proven challenging. Playing seems to take time and energy--expensive commodities in an evolutionary economy--from individuals' budgets. Such behavior must then benefit players in some substantial way in order to offset its costs.

Alex Hawes

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

Plato

Make up your own mind.

In the end, it would probably be a simple solution of relief for your lust of LEGO just to spend an adequate amount for more altruistic and

beneficial purposes as well. Some more charitable work wouldn´t hurt anybody that easily too I guess...

We´re living in a world of relationships, and surviving of the fittest and herd behavior´re a complex matter too.

For a lot of people it ain´t easy to find a way between destructive competition and cooperative competition though.

After all I´m pretty glad if some little plastic bricks and stuff like that keeps me from going insane - although...

The rest´s more the usual question of avarice versus contentedness.

Edited August 25, 2008 by Asuka

[Legoman]

Hello good people of eurobricks forums,

I am a long-time LEGO fan, played with it since I was a kid and rediscovered it being an adult. But ever since the passing of my "dark ages", maybe even when I was a child, I thought about the justification of that particular hobby.

The thing is, with all that misery in the world, people suffering from hunger and poverty, lacking of freedom and what not, how can I justify spending my precious money and time on plastic bricks? Shouldn't I rather support charity organizations by donating money or even working for them? Isn't spending dozens and hundreds of dollars/euros for my very own amusement somehow terribly wrong?

You know what I would like to hear from you, that this is a hobby like all the others, and that spending time and money is inevitable. But somehow I feel like this particular free time diversion is more useless to society than all the rest, and that I should think more altruistic.

Nevertheless I love reminiscing about my childhood, letting my fantasy roam free and constructing creative models only for the satisfaction of having done so.

Maybe you can reflect yourself and post your unique view on this topic, so that I may escape from my limited point of view and enjoy my bricks again. (That's somehow melodramatic for a change...)

I wish you an enchanted evening.

I fully know what you mean.Recently Ive been thinking this very same thing, and its really painful to think about.For me, Lego is a huge part of my life, and resently, i'm finding it extremely hard.I'm a 13 year old christian kid (very nearly 14) and poverty is a hard thing to grasp.i mean, a UCS millenium falcon could buy a large house for a family and provide them with food for a YEAR.I mean, how can you justify that?

For me its really hard.And as of yet, i havn't desided.Its a hard desision.

I currently give 10% (or a bit more), then spend (most of)the rest on lego

Im in tough ground, as i dont want lego to become like an idol to me, but i love it so much, after all, its my hobby...

[soy ?]

I believe there is a happy medium between everything. One cannot deprive himself of all joy because he sees others suffering in the street.

I have a unique perspective on your moral dilemma. My family comes from Iran and mexico, two fairly poor nations. I am aslo studying political science at my university. The question about poverty isnt so plain. Yeah poverty blows but lets look at a multitude of other things.

DO NOT READ AS THIS IS VERY SAD, BUT THE REALITY OF OUR WORLD

• There are more slaves in the world today then at any other point in history. Females account for up to 80% of slaves. Most slaves end up working in the sex trade, children as young as 8 can often be bought in certain thai brothels. In one instance a pregnant prostitute had her fetus ripped out from her womb by her pimp and left to die[turkey] in auctions people can buy the not so fair women for around $200 [you can buy the lives of two people for your millenium falcon]. the information came from an issue of national geographic, can tell you which one if you want to know exactly.

•In Uganda the LRA has created a civil war that has lasted over 20 years and resulted in tens of thousands child soldiers. additionally the LRA oftentimes mutilates the appendages of the children's parents.

• In the mideast to be gay is to be dead

• In the united states (my home) people consume copious amounts of drugs resulting in a decline of culture, a rise of crime, a lack of care in parenting [imagine being a child whose parents never made you food or bought you clothes let alone bought you toys]. The degradation of traditional values in which women were objects of reverance not means to achive sexual gratification. And homeless, the vast majority of which have mental problems are thrown on the street with no one to help. Lets not also forget the 1 million plus families who have had their lives destroyed by the current economic situation that has resulted in them losing their home.

The bottom line is the world is filled with misery. No one person can change things. Being an adult [sorry to you ladies who i might seem as a chauvinist, but i have a deep believe in tradition] requires that you put others before yourself. that is what separates adults from children, and men from boys. We do need to entertain ourselves every now and then. But is buying 500 dollars worth of plastic going to make you happy, it might for a day, maybe a week at most. It can also save someones live who is facing starvation, eviction, enslavement, a drug addiction...... The matter of the fact is this, everything in moderation. I spend a maximum of $100 on what i call junk a year, which includes toys games and all other non-essentials.

Also remember plastic is very bad for the enviroment, check out this documentary Toxic Garbage Island. So if you must buy, please buy second hand .

[BoomZhanker]

Ouch,quite A... dark connectedness to our loved LEGO.

Must say...If you do take your view in such a perspective,which is utterly true...yet I think..a bit too dreary.

No,I'm not sayin' that I'd rather keep resources,money to myself rather than give it away to ones that need it most.

I often give away as much resources I'm able to(Even though I wish i could give more.)

It's not just the LEGO,as some of you called it ;A heap of plastic (Melted,graven,whatnot.) It's pretty much everything material,

people always tend to consume more(more or less) than they actually need,and worsening over the years,although people

have grown to have a bit more clearer mind about material things,reasoning to themselves how much they really need this or that.

Charity is always a nice thing to do,but you can't get too dramatic about it,and heavy your own self with all those matters.

The lot less fortunate ones have,are, and will exist.Yeah,sure,we can help them,and always will when possible.

I'm not sure if this reply earned me a whacking,or just a obsolete image,but I think it's not worth casting yourself down because of

something you can't change alone by yourself.

Take care you lot!

Think happy!

BoomZhanker.

[legobear]

Lego is not the problem. Our possessions are not the problem either. It is how we use what we have that is the problem. If you don't want to spend all the money on Lego, you can always give to charity the equal amount you spend on Lego.

Your enjoyment time is absolutely necessary and important because you yourself is a sentient being. We can always find a balance to do charitable work and at the same time, take care of ourselves. Too many people take the extremist approach of either being way too selfish or being way too selfless to the point where, even neglecting him/herself. Neither of these two paths are skillful.

There is no doubt that spending ALL your time on Lego is unskillful unwise living. However, there is nothing innately wrong with enjoying Lego. I follow two golden rules.

1.) Never do anything that hurts others and oneself.

2.) Do that which helps others and oneself.

This question could be geared towards rich people. Are rich people then the problem? Is their wealth a problem? Absolutely not. Wealth isn't the problem, it is how we use the wealth. Just as if a person earns their wealth and uses it wisely (build it for others and themselves, and gives to those less fortunate), you too can enjoy your possessions but also be able to give to those less fortunate. Find a balance, find that middle way. Finally, if you don't violate the two golden rules of morality, you can't go wrong.

[Dr. Brick]

I know how you feel, I feel the same.

That's why I work at the local Oxfam store, which takes up none of my money, which I can spend on LEGO.

That way I do my share of good work and I can still play with LEGO.

Anyway, welcome to Eurobricks. I hope you have fun here.

Dr. Brick

[Kamzel]

The thing is, with all that misery in the world, people suffering from hunger and poverty, lacking of freedom and what not, how can I justify spending my precious money and time on plastic bricks? Shouldn't I rather support charity organizations by donating money or even working for them? Isn't spending dozens and hundreds of dollars/euros for my very own amusement somehow terribly wrong? (...) But somehow I feel like this particular free time diversion is more useless to society than all the rest, and that I should think more altruistic

I don't think that buying LEGO bricks is any worse than buying expensive clothes, watches or cars, and some people spend not hundreds or thousands, but millions of Euros for such things. You can (maybe you should?) give money to charity organisations, but it is important to remember, that money can't change everything...

[Tenorikuma]

Zenaiid, by spending time in recreation playing and creating with Lego, you are not only rejuvenating your mind and spirit -- something as important for your overall health as food is for your body -- you are taking the time to enjoy the most precious gift ever given you, your life.

And at the same time, if you do not contribute to the suffering of those around you, you are more virtuous than 75% of the world.

By all means, give to charity and help out those more needy than yourself. But don't feel guilt for enjoying your own success and exercising your creative impulses with Lego. Moreover, you could do much worse than spending your money on Lego. In doing so, you not only support those people in Denmark, Hungary, the Czech Republic and China who design and make this product, but also the overall advancement of healthy, educational toys and pursuits.

[brickzone]

Well, I certainly probably need to cut back on Lego spending. I'm already making more careful choices about which sets I really need.

I do not think building with Lego is wasting time. I don't know about others, but having a decent hobby like Lego is I think very beneficial to you and so contributes in a way to time you spend doing activities that are obviously not wasting time. I do not think Lego is in the same category as some other pastimes, although I think many so-called timewasters can be useful. Lego is also in some ways an artistic expression, which again, at the very least is useful to you and puts you in better shape for actual work.

I probably have bought a number of sets that I could have passed on, and I do intend to be more selective in future. However, I am not too concerned, as I did buy most sets for a good price, and could probably sell them on for more if at some stage I needed to, thus at the very least it is not a foolish waste of money, as it is in some respects an investment. I certainly would not like to have to part with some of my older Castle sets in particular, but I could part with a lot of my Lego tomorrow if I had to. I think it's important not to be too attached to these things. In any case all of the Lego I have is replaceable, and much of it quite easily.

It is good to be concerned about these issues, although it does little good to be steeped in guilt to no effect. The best way to do something about it, without being too radical, is I think to cut back on ones Lego spending and be a bit more selective. If you feel you already have too much Lego, that is a sensible step at the least. Further than that, you may be best off just accepting you bought too much, and making the most of it now. Alternatively, you could consider offloading sets that while nice to have, are not really essential to own, and easily replaceable (e.g. many modern Lego sets). I think it's probably a big mistake to do anything rashly, and it's probably unrealistic and probably not necessary to try cut ones spending to zero.

That's my advice anyway, as a Christian. However, I'm still working on the "cutting back on spending" aspect, so I'll get back to you on that.

I certainly in some respects find it a comfort that even the total value of my Lego is less than a couple large consumer goods (e.g. gaming PC?) but unfortunately, relativism is not something I can really subscribe to. It probably does make your concerns easier to handle though, putting them in such perspective.

[skinkfem]

unlike the rest of you, i´m that selfish bastard that would rather hoard resources for myself than sharing it with anyone.

i´m not only indifferent to the suffering of "tribes far away" but i would actively screw things up for them if it were in my power.

i would much rather lay my illgotten gains on a new falcon than a large housing in ex africa (despite that fact that i dislike falcon)

part of this reasoning is tribe mentality, part of it is downright rasism and part is general distrust.

personally i will continue to buy lego (and other "profitless tresures") rather than giving anything to charity.

(the above post was not intended to troll anyone, and is merely my stance on world poverty)

[Eilif]

About 2 years ago, I was considering this exact same issue. Until recently when my wife -largest earner in my home- entered school, I spent a copious amout of money on LEGO. It bothered me that I was spending more on LEGO per month than many of my neighbors (I live in an underserved inner-city Chicago neighborhood) spend on food in a month for thier whole family, and my LEGO hobby was benefiting me and no one else. Approaching it as I do, from a Christian perspective, I just didn't think this was a good reflection of how Jesus would have me to be using my hobbies/talents/resources. About a year ago, I asked the quesiton on LUGNET "What are you doing with LEGO to beneifit the greater human good?" I got very few responses.

So I decided to do something about it using LEGO.

In February, I'm starting a LEGO educational and personal development program at a local after school center. It's nothing huge, 10 local 3rd grade boys 10 sessions, over 10 weeks. I put a proposal together about 2 months ago, and already have help from folks like Hinkley and Brickology, a location, commitments for "letters of support" from 5 local community organizations, and -thanks to the folks at NILTC- pledges for 33% of the funds needed. (It's run by volunteers like me, but we LEGO costs money, and we want to let the boys keep their LEGO when the class is over.)

I'm not saying this to get support for my program. (that topic will be forthcoming in a week or two. ) What I'm saying is don't feel guilty, get active! You can do it! There's tons of ways to be involved in service, and as I've learned recently, there's a multitude of people from all socio/religious/political/etc persuasions who are there to help, guide and work along side you.

[legotrainfan]

First of all: welcome to eurobricks!

Your first post and it's really a tricky question. I've asked that myself as well. That's really difficult but you could ask that yourself with many things. A friend of mine doesn't like animals and thinks it's crazy to spend money for a vet when people are suffering and dying in the world. Just recently we've spent 60 euro to immunise our cat against two diseases. Would it be morally better to take the risk of our cat falling incurably ill? Should you just use the money for a charity organisation? Maybe. I don't know. But I'm not willing to risk our cat's health. If you have a pet, you are responsible for its well-being. The tragedy is that no one feels responsible for people starving in all parts of the world, but most of the time this is not the average man's fault. Most of the time it's a matter of politics. Dictators rule the country and eat the most delicious things whereas the average man and woman is dying. Countries spend millions on the development of nuclear bombs though that money could be used to ease the hunger of millions and to improve medical care.

I don't want to keep you from buying fewer sets or no LEGO at all, so that you have more money which you can give to charity organisations. It's a good thing to do that. Apart from that, there are also other things you could do to help people. You can go donate blood, for instance. Or you work some hours a week for a charity organisation on a voluntariy basis. I mean every little bit can count. Just make up your mind what would be the best way to help others.

Just to ease your conscience: there are people who spend a lot of money on their model train out, car(s), and other things. And what's the use of going on holiday in a four star hotel? Wouldn't it be better to give the money for the flight and the hotel to a charity organisation? These are questions of the same type. I think it's a good thing that you have raised this question. Many people don't even think about it, which is worst.

Edited August 25, 2008 by legotrainfan

[Joebot]

unlike the rest of you, i´m that selfish bastard that would rather hoard resources for myself than sharing it with anyone.

i´m not only indifferent to the suffering of "tribes far away" but i would actively screw things up for them if it were in my power.

i would much rather lay my illgotten gains on a new falcon than a large housing in ex africa (despite that fact that i dislike falcon)

part of this reasoning is tribe mentality, part of it is downright rasism and part is general distrust.

personally i will continue to buy lego (and other "profitless tresures") rather than giving anything to charity.

(the above post was not intended to troll anyone, and is merely my stance on world poverty)

Wow. After reading all the other thoughtful, insightful posts on this thread, then coming across yours ... I don't even know what to say. That's probably the most shockingly offensive thing I've ever read on this board.

On the bright side, I guess I can appreciate your honesty!

[skaldcrow]

Hello, this is my first actual post, but this is a cool discussion, I had to join in!

This is something I've been thinking a lot about as well, along with considering how I can change my life to do more good in the world.

The great thing about lego is that it's a creative toy. It allows one to use their imagination to create in limitless ways. Creativity and imagination are so important in making the world a better place... can you imagine what the world would be like without them?

I suppose what you have to ask yourself is if lego serves a purpose in your life other than feeding nostalgia. For myself, if I've had a terrible day, and I'm tired, coming home and building a castle helps to take my mind off things for a while. It gives my spirit a chance to renew itself a little bit so that I can keep facing life with optimism and hope. We all need a break, we all need to have some fun sometimes and play.

Now is it worth it to spend thousands of dollars on lego, or more? Not to me, but maybe it is to someone. If I had a thousand dollars to spend on lego, that money would be going toward helping the environment, as that's something I believe in.

Personally, as an artist, lego helps me loosen up and have fun, which feeds my art. I might be daydreaming about little lego trolls and dwarves chasing each other, and in some bizarre, unexplainable way it will inspire me to paint something awesome, just because my brain is having fun.

I guess my advice would be to go out and try to make the world a better place as much as you can. Do some good in the world, and then if you want to play with lego, go ahead.

Anyway, I hope that all wasn't too long or silly!

~Matthew

Edited August 25, 2008 by skaldcrow

[voxel]

Hi!

[...]

You know what I would like to hear from you, that this is a hobby like all the others, and that spending time and money is inevitable. But somehow I feel like this particular free time diversion is more useless to society than all the rest, and that I should think more altruistic.

You should try to find out why you think you should be more altruistic.

First of all: It is not in our genes, unless you are dealing with family members. I.e. you are trying to overrule an instinct here.

Second: Why do you seem to think that Lego is different a hobby than e.g. <insert any hobby you can come up with>?

Is there anyone that frowns upon your hobby lego? If so, here is a good practice of not letting other people influence and hereby control you.

[...]

Maybe you can reflect yourself and post your unique view on this topic, so that I may escape from my limited point of view and enjoy my bricks again. (That's somehow melodramatic for a change...)

Yes, we can give you insights. But again you will have to deal with your own conscience, no one else is able to do that for you.

Some points to ponder:

- You surely have color TV, Internet, a game console etc. pp. You could do without those.

- You surely like to eat & drink certain foods. Well, you could live on very basic stuff: veggies from your region and the like.

- You wear clothes (I should expect). I presume these are not secondhand.

- You might have other hobbies such as flying kites or playing soccer. Aren't they a waste of time/a potential hazard to your health?

- Do you travel? This is also a waste of time & money.

So what is different about Lego? I think it is just another hobby, and spending time & money for it is just as right or wrong as for any other pastime.

And remember: For the universe it is totally insignificant what we do with our lives.

I&#39;m a conformist&#33;!

EDIT: Typos ...

Edited August 25, 2008 by voxel

[Jipay]

My advice : stop watching TV, and play even more with LEGO bricks. This won't help the world, but might likely take your fears away and make you a better personn. What more can you do than becoming a better person ?

In my own perspective, I think the most important thing is to provide everything needed for my family, and to act nicely to them. It already takes a lot of time. If I can play LEGO with the remaining time, that's ok.

[Asuka]

First of all: It is not in our genes, unless you are dealing with family members. I.e. you are trying to overrule an instinct here.

Um... what?

Altruism holds by far many benefits beyond the boundaries of close relatives, and the evolution of societies is really a pretty

complex matter. Maybe it could be helpful for you to deal a little with terms like reciprocal and competitive altruism,

evolutionary psychology, inclusive fitness, kin selection and the work of Peter Kropotkin in general.

Survival of the nicest on!

[BatonMedved]

Well, my woories a bit different but nevertheless i`ll have my word.

This things come to your mind when usually you are bored and has nothing to do. I would rather say - go and buy a ticket for regional train, not express one. And enjoy countryside, world. Or just go and watch some films newest one or old - but useful and with a moral (i think one of the best things we are having just now is Wall-E). Or its a great feature to have a bicycle ride o even a trip.

As example i would reccomend visiting Finland with you own (or lend) bike - its surely worth it. Clean air,water, untouched nature and a great scandinavian landscape but its only beginning. A good bicycle road network with own traffic lights in cities, interchanges in some places and places for rest. And a great view while driving great surface.

But its very my own reccomendation as i`ve already tried it by myself. Of course you have freedom of choice.

The main thing about it all - one time i feeled the thing that at any time im not safe. My house may collapse or a tree can fall on me while walking in park, etc. But you should mention - life is a challenge itself.

Ancient people could be hurt by wild animals or be under the same fell tree - but then it meaned death. Now you could be delivered to hospital to get a treatment - and you only have to hold out and strugle for your life.

I mean it doesnt matter for you - i mean make a big goal for your life and seek to it. Really big. And life is gonna be better.

[Cardinal Brick]

Absolutely anything and everything could be seen as wastful if you want to view it that way. I want to be a historian and to be blunt there is no real benefit for humanity if I do so, I don’t think humanity needs more work done of the 17th century etc there already enough and all I’ll produce are more articles and more wasteful students and future historians. The thing is if I though about myself in that way all the time I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror when I wake up and it’d probably break my limited grasp on sanity. So as I see it you’ve got three choices. 1 Take a vow of poverty and give everything away, 2 Make some sort of deal to easy your conscious or 3 Learn to live with it. Its might seem hard but it’s going to come down to one of those three in my opinion.

[Tanotrooper]

Then isn't thinking about this subject all the time a waste of time too?

I'm sure that people who have much less than you would want you to enjoy your life, to enjoy the things you have rather than wasting that life thinking about them... Be happy with your life, hobbies such as LEGO, etc.

If you want to spend money on charity, go ahead, it's the money you worked for, and if you wish to spend it on LEGO, then no one else can complain because you deserved it.

BTW 500 USD for a large house and food for a year? What country are you speaking of then?

Most problems in countries such as in Africa etc. have a historical point of view:

-European colonists settled in parts of Africa, Australia, Indonesia etc.

-The more or less native tribes there lived like they did for thousands of years.

-We put our European system upon them.

-The system kind of (cf how some people were treated over there) worked under European control.

-We are forced to leave thanks to new laws etc. (about half 20th century, some before and some after)

-The former colony countries have the European system, but no experience to lead it (because Europeans left).

-Things start to get messy, with poverty and hunger rising etc.

If we left/leave them alone in the way they used to live, they will stabilize. By giving enormous amounts of money to charity to develop these countries will keep on forcing them to live by the Western standards. We will never raise enough money to make those countries like the Western countries, ruled by experienced politicians etc. (most politicians are only there for the money)

Those are my thoughts. It's your life and money, you may do with it as you wish.

TT

[Lockt]

Quite a philosophical discussion we have here. I think the relevence in this discussion is more the discussion itself and not the answer to the OPs question. It is a question you can apply to many things:

- why do you have a car, and not live next to your work and walk to it, so the money saved can be used against poverty

- why do you eat more then you need, and throw away even more, which you cannot even eat

- why do you buy new shoes, while the old ones are still not complete worn through (a hole or 3 is not an issue..isnt it?)

- why do children play in the first place? (think about Plato!) and thus are given toys

I think there are a lot of answers to all these questions, some more selfish then other. In essence they will all be selfish varying from: enjoyment to learning/developing ourselves, varying from satisfying needs to easing desires.

Basically I think the question was answered only by one person honestly, although I dont agree with his opening sentence, so I changed it:

LIKE the rest of you, i´m that selfish bastard that would rather hoard resources for myself than sharing it with anyone.

i´m not only indifferent to the suffering of "tribes far away" but i would actively screw things up for them if it were in my power.

i would much rather lay my illgotten gains on a new falcon than a large housing in ex africa (despite that fact that i dislike falcon)

part of this reasoning is tribe mentality, part of it is downright rasism and part is general distrust.

personally i will continue to buy lego (and other "profitless tresures") rather than giving anything to charity.

(the above post was not intended to troll anyone, and is merely my stance on world poverty)

The shocking truth might perfectly be that charity is a product of an un-easy conscience. To ease it a bit we justify our own life-style by donating.

~Lockt~

P.s. Of course I generalize a bit here, and I appologize to those exceptions that are truly charitable

[Minifig Lecturer]

oo please..

Like how much do you spend on Lego??!?!? €60,000 every few years? quit being guilty and chill out.

I know plenty of people who'd have no problem spending 60k on a car. Its stupid to me but for some cars are their hobby and for others cars are status symbol. (In my opinion the people who buy cars to show-off are jerks but that's unrelated however the fact is that it is their money to spend so should they feel guilty? Please note that anyone who could afford to waste 60k on a car is probably playing the government a nice sum in taxes - so even greedy people are fighting poverty even if they don't want/intend to).

You know Z, if you didn't steal the money you have I am taking you earned your money. EARNED. It is yours to do whatever you want with it (assuming it's legal). If you don't give 1cent to charity, no problem, its your choice and it doesn't make you any "worse" than someone who does.

Remember people who like cars, clothes, holidays abroad, and even those who don't, have no quams spending huge amount on a piece of metal with a BMW sign, some leather coat, and plane fares.

Pretty much all hobbies cost money, running you need shoes, cycling you need a bike and repair kits, even food to give you energy to do any sport.

[Eilif]

Alot of points of view here. I was surprised to see the number of folks who see little point in charity. Charity is often, but does not need to be, simply the byproduct of a guilty concience. I would put forth that the answer to the original poster is not

"just give a bit"

or "just enjoy what you have and don't worry about those out side your social circle"

or "other people don't feel guilty, so why should you"

or "charity is not an evolutionary imperative".

Whether simply trying to push back guilt, or using various theories to justify turning your back on fellow man, these kinds of suggestions are, IMHO, generally cop-outs.

The real answer to the question posed by the orignal poster is to look at your life and beliefs, and begin create balance in your life. This will probably develop into a lifelong process of self examination, but it has to start somewhere. For those of us (most folks on eurobricks) who find ourselves living fairly comfortably in the financially prosperous countries, there are two questions can help start you on the journey.

After you have examined your beliefs and values...

Asking one's self "do I need this?" is a great place to start. Of course most of us buy things we don't "need" all the time, and it must be stressed that it's OK to do so. We all have some requirements in our lives for recreation, self-betterment, etc, but start the conversation with yourself, and examine your own financial habits. There is really no better measure of what a person, organization, or community values than what they expend their resources -time and money- on. I've assisted with budgeting classes before, and it's always surprising to people to find out how much they spend on things that they don't care about, need, or even want.

The other question is "based on my values, what human needs do I recognize, care about, or am interested in, and how can I help?" Hopefully if you've taken the first question seriously you will have found resources to put toward whatever "greater good" causes, issues or programs that reflect your values.

Most of us will never achieve perfect balance between our ideals and our behavior, but that's part of the human condition. The hope is that we never stop trying.

Edited August 26, 2008 by Eilif

[Zarkan]

The thing is, with all that misery in the world, people suffering from hunger and poverty, lacking of freedom and what not, how can I justify spending my precious money and time on plastic bricks? Shouldn't I rather support charity organizations by donating money or even working for them? Isn't spending dozens and hundreds of dollars/euros for my very own amusement somehow terribly wrong?

You know what I would like to hear from you, that this is a hobby like all the others, and that spending time and money is inevitable. But somehow I feel like this particular free time diversion is more useless to society than all the rest, and that I should think more altruistic.

Nevertheless I love reminiscing about my childhood, letting my fantasy roam free and constructing creative models only for the satisfaction of having done so.

Maybe you can reflect yourself and post your unique view on this topic, so that I may escape from my limited point of view and enjoy my bricks again. (That's somehow melodramatic for a change...)

Well, I can see that you're very honest about this, and I appreciate that. Truthfully though, I wouldn't say that lego is nearly as usless to society as you may think. While many hobbies like buying expensive cars and spending tons of money and time on computer games really are only for enjoyment, lego actually influences creativity, originality, and other good qualities by challenging you to build better creations. That's one of the reasons why I'd say that lego is a better hobby for both kids and adults than tons of electronic gizmos - and the same creativity you use when building stuff with legos can also be applied to far more important things, like inventing worthwhile things for the good of civilization.

Regardless, if you really feel upset about it, there are ways to directly help people with lego too. There's a lot of poor families with dads or mons in jail, serving in the military, or even worse. I bet a lot of kids in that situation would appreciate if someone donated some lego to them for chirstmas or birthdays, or just on the occasion. In that way, you can bring the same joy you get from building with legos to families that can't afford it - which I'd say is a noble cause.

Edited August 26, 2008 by Grevious