Voting Question: I have a friend from a rich family who prefers to live poorly and donate to the poor?

29/01/10

I had always thought my friend was from a poor family - I never met her family before, she said they lived far away and she’s alone here. She’s 28 years old and works as a secretary in the day and has a second part time job at night as a store cashier. I had seen her at her part time job but she never took me around to her secretary job. Anyway on those days she works both jobs she gets little sleep. She always eats at home and always plain basic food, she even skips breakfast sometimes saying she needs to keep the money. Her home is also plain. She also never uses air con, doesn’t have a tv, etc. She does have a computer, and but she had said that’s the only luxury she’s been able to afford besides she has her company work on it. I had been concerned but she’s been living like this for several years and she’s always been healthy. But I thought that’s what she had to do.

Well the other day, I saw her with a group of richer people (well they wore fancy clothing unlike my friend) but I ignored greeting her because it was across the street and she was busy talking so I didn’t want to disturb anything and would ask her later.

Well I mentioned I saw her there next time we met, she then said it was her family visiting her. I was surprised, asking how come her family dressed so richly when she said she was from a poor family. Well she admitted that she doesn’t work as a secretary, but is actually a manager in that company with a lot of income, but no one but her family knows about it. She says that she donates most of her income to charities and lives like a poor person.

Well, I really admire that a lot. But now that I think back, the extent she’s doing - I don’t mind she doesnt have a tv or wear fancy clothing (well she says she only wears it at her management job because they expect her too) or eat plain food etc. But she skips meals, skips sleep and works a second job to get extra money because she gives the rest of it away. Isn’t that really going a little far? I had told her that, and she says it’s nothing and she prefers it that way, in fact she also says that maybe she isn’t going far enough and would reduce her living style even further to donate even more money. She says as long as she’s not dead, she’ll keep working an income to give to the poor. I’m worried and I think she’s just lucky she hasn’t had any health problems so far.
Yeah, it’s charities, she doesn’t have an organisation. She has donated large amounts to over 20 charities so far.

What made her do this? She says she prefers to give the money to people who need it more than her, especially like those who are starving - lots wouldn’t even be able to have a life at all without the money she gives.

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