An opportunity you don't want to miss

I have a confession to make. I watch American Idol. I have another confession to make. I was rooting for SanJaya.

So of course I have some thoughts about the "American Idol Gives Back" shows from last week.

First, I find the title ironic. Idol Gives Back. Heh.

Second, I have to say good job. Last I hear, over $60 million has been donated. That is a huge chunk of change that is going to people who really need it. That is $60 million more than there would have been, which is good news.

...But...

The entire situation bothers me. I couldn't help but notice the "hero" mentality that was on the show. It was as if people were "realizing" that rich americans could save the poor without much cost to themselves or their lifestyles. They were given a great opportunity to vote for their idol and simultaneously helped the world. How heroic. What really irks me is that Ryan Seacrest, when urging people to call and vote, said that this call "could be the most important call you ever make."

Pathetic. Over 70 million people voted, and only 60 million dollars were donated. More money would have been collected if everyone gave just one dollar. ONE DOLLAR.

wow. such an important call. i don't know about you, but i sure don't want to miss an opportunity to give away less than one dollar. it could be the most important thing i ever do...

All this to say: WE DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR IDOL TO GIVE BACK. If we ALL gave ONE DOLLAR EVERY DAY, then we would have somethin' goin' on. One dollar every day is cheaper than most coffee addictions, soda addictions, gum addictions, inefficient gas guzzlers, etc. When you find a dollar on the street, you probably don't even get excited about it. Just imagine if those 70 million voters gave one dollar every day. That would add up to $2.1 billion in one month. $25.55 billion in one year. Now that is a big chunck of change.

And one more thing. Even $25.55 billion is not heroic. It is tragic. Among the wealthy of the world, $25.55 billion could be collected from spare change. Among the poor of the world, there is no change to spare. That bothers me. Giving is not heroic, it should be expected. We have too much and they have too little.

In conclusion, Idol giving back is a step in the right direction, but it is nothing compared to what could be. We have the opportunity to give back every single day. And that opportunity is something that way too many people are missing.