What do you consider to be the highest return-on-efforts ways to make the world a better place for as many people as possible?
What do you consider to be the highest return-on-efforts ways to make the world a better place for as many people as possible?
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Not only does this make the place cleaner, people watching this may get the warm fuzzies that someone else actually cares.
Another thing is to ask employees at stores how their day is. You don’t need to have a full conversation, sometimes people just have nobody ask them this question and it helps.
IMO you’re thinking too small to try to “impact” as many people as possible - impact just 1 person and the world gets better. If you spread it out such that there is no signal left (contributing a grain of rice per person) then it prevents larger forces from self correcting. You can make a huge impact on the entire world by individual level kindness, because that person you impacted will go on to impact others for 50 some years.
Go vegan on weekdays. Or weekends. Or one meal a day. Or do vegetarian instead of vegan.
There are a lot of ways to do a nonzero amount of good, and you may inspire others to do so. And this partial commitment allows you to do so without any adjustment to your lifestyle. You will not suffer a B12 or iron deficiency or whatever else you're worried about. You don't have to eat weird foods you're grossed out by.
Underrated ways to change the world, part II
https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-ch...
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46873494
Part I is at
https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-ch...
1. Donate a portion of my income to charitable causes I find worthy. I would like to target 10% of my net income.
2. Volunteer at a local organization that you care about. There are usually ample opportunities for committed volunteers if you look for them.
3. Have children. Try to raise them to be responsible, caring citizens. That way I can extend my efforts to the next generation.
4. In the near future, I intend to attempt to get involved with local politics somehow. I am still figuring out the specifics, but I am thinking that running for the local school board would be beneficial.
I come from Mexico, where millions of people walk and take public transport every day. Unfortunately, poor infrastructure and our mobility culture hurt pedestrians the most. Sometimes people have to wait several minutes just to cross a street. Years ago, a teacher told me that giving way to pedestrians was a simple action to make the world better. It makes a real difference for those who don't have the privilege of being in a car. This stuck with me, and I try to do it whenever possible. It might not apply everywhere with better infrastructure, but I find it to be a small yet meaningful action.
*But also make sure you water, stake and prune it for the first 3-5 years.
Volunteer your time.
Adopt an animal that otherwise might be euthanized.
Pick up litter.
Be nice to strangers.
- [1] https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/best-charities-to-donate-to-...
- [2] https://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities
(Disclaimer: the site I hacked for myself to help me consume podcasts) https://spokengoods.com/podcasts/385078-skeptoid/mic-d-up-br...
highest return-on-efforts ways to make the world a better place for as many people as possible?
“Return” is for your ego. So is “as many people as possible.” Good luck.
Trying to make the world better for others has been a losing battle and one not worth fighting either. People are automatons. They have their own desires and irrational behaviors.
So I just focus on my own happiness.
Global warming? I’ll optimize to live on coastal California. It should be 60-75F beautiful sunny days until the day I die.
Insane politics? I’ll live 2800 miles away around hippies and liberals. I don’t need to watch the news.
Things getting expensive? Make more money so it doesn’t affect me.
People are suffering everywhere? Dawg I’m suffering too, so I’ll believe in something irrational so it doesn’t affect me.
Maybe not what you wanted to hear. But I’m a realist and wasted a few years of my life trying to think of those things. Ultimately, it’s not worth it. I’ll support things that make sense and I don’t eat meat or drive a gas guzzler. What more do you want?
When you ask your titular question you’re already in a minority of the population.
Many people continue to make dumbass decisions that affect everyone else in negative ways. I would love to slap them back to their senses, but that’s not allowed.
Or at least like, don't spread bad vibes on the topic.
Take Kant for example and go improve yourself, as the only part of the world you can really change.
Plus it assumes that survival or suffering are the highest priority things, but there's a lot more other things like community and civilization.