Yesterday, Hannah and I appeared on the Diane Rehm Show, with guest host Frank Sesno sitting in for Diane. If you haven't listened to this great NPR show, it's an interview and call-in combo. So, we talked to Frank for a while, then the questions and comments started.
Some emailers (read by Frank on the air) took us to task for not understanding that average Americans don't have much to give. One caller explained how he'd lost his job and had nothing at all to give.
I responded by explaining -- as I often do -- that nothing about The Power of Half has anything to do with money or size. Instead, I noted, it's about giving what you have more than enough of ... and often that's time . For us, it was the house, of course, but for others it could be half the hours they spend online or watching TV. No cash investment necessary. Or as the kids at Rye Middle School suggested, time your showers and then cut the length of them in half (a nice win for the environment!)
Today, on the Diane Rehm site, there's a great debate about how much giving is enough, whether we're on the right track, etc. For instance, one person wrote: "Another show with an arrogant, upper-crust person hawking their book about how to manage life........she is theorizing about hypothetical living styles that lots of cash would make possible.........if I had an unlimited budget I could relax too!! and think the great thoughts that she arrogantly is pushing."
Give the comments a read. I'd love to hear your thoughts.