If you haven't been outside the US in awhile (or ever), you don't know how America is viewed by other cultures. That view is not a pretty one, due primarily to the unilateral war in Iraq, but also due to the perception that we are consuming more than our fair share of the planet's resources.

For two primary reasons, my approach to gifting has taken a decidedly different turn this season. I am pooling all the money I normally would have spent (or should have spent, in some cases, and didn't) for gifts at birthdays and Christmas/New Years and participating in a micro loan project or three. Using www.kiva.org, micro loans will be made in Africa to help folks not as capital-rich as Americans begin businesses that will raise the owners' standard of living above poverty-level (in many cases). As money is repaid, it will be let out again, to continue the work, and more will be added each year as birthdays and holidays pass. Primary reason number 1 is to change the perception of America from a culture that only takes to a culture that also knows how to help others. Reason number 2 is that I have been uncomfortable with giving things to family and friends who already have the resources to purchase everything they desire. I fear gifting that usually ends up in a closet or garage, or worst of all, the trash, just for the 'thought that counts". If it is true that the thought is what's truly important, then let my gift to you be the improvement in someone's future, the betterment of our world culture, a gift that will change someone's life forever.

Please consider the concept yourself, for 2007 and beyond. I believe that poverty is truly the driving force behind terrorism. If we are to ever overcome the wars that continue to sap lives and property we must address this issue. What better legacy can you leave your family, friends and descendants than a world free of war?