Secret Santa and the art of knowing

What a wonderful thing it is to be able to buy a gift for someone that tells that person they are understood.  And so it was this year as secret santa bought me a copy of 'The Spirit Level' by Richard Wilkinson and kate Pickett.  Big thanks to whoever the real santa was.

As the book explores issues of trust, health, social capital and much more related to inequality, it makes such sense that beyond fairly basic needs it's about time we looked in the mirror and were honest about what makes a healthy society.  I made a Christmas wish list the other day; cameras with more megapixels, faster lenses etc. The usual list. Then I took a peek in my camera bag and knew instantly that I already had enough kit to take good pictures.  The post purchase dissonance had already set in and I hadn't even had the pleasure of unwrapping anything.

Now the thought of making a donation to something like Toby Tanser's inspirational Shoe 4 Africa charity, and helping in some small way change lives and build the first children's hospital in Kenya; that already makes me happy.  As does donating to the Barnsley Youth Choir who help so many young people to find their voice.

Personal acts of giving, local or international; it all adds up and collectively builds trust and a climate of togetherness.  Here's to every project that works towards these ends in 2011

"Once a man be done with hunger, rich and poor are all as one" - Euripides, Electra (p3 The Spirit Level)