To the editor: If Individuals must be wealthy to present, we live in a reasonably egocentric society (“How can we create a extra beneficiant America?,” Dec. 25).
Contributing author Veronique de Rugy equates generosity with wealth and fully misses the purpose. Her premise that wealth must be created by transferring previous protections for employees and the surroundings is past miserly.
True generosity is giving when it’s troublesome to do. From Joseph and Mary needing to hunt shelter in a manger to Ebenezer Scrooge realizing that the impoverished Bob Cratchet’s life is richer than his, the premise of the Christmas story stays fixed — and it doesn’t contain buying wealth.
The Los Angeles Instances’ current front-page article about community-based little one care illustrates this nicely (“These South L.A. ladies constructed a child-care haven on their block. It’s a lifeline for households,” Dec. 22). Jackie Jackson, who usually earns about $1,500 a month caring for her group, shouldn’t be ready for abundance to start out giving. She simply does it.
Jackie Stansbury, Santa Monica
