I spend a lot of time expressing my gratitude to people (even when they refuse to take my thanks), but they often insist that I must "pay it forward." I must take the gifts that they have given to me, and the gifts that have been given to me by the universe or God or whatever you want to call circumstance, and pay them forward to those younger than me and those who are struggling with the things that I have been through in the past (that's sort of why this blog exists in the first place). I had two experiences in the last few days that have sparked this particular post:
First, I had a close friend diagnosed with a chronic illness two days ago. She was confused, upset, and overwhelmed, all justifiable emotions to have on what I call D-Day, diagnosis day (there may be a blogpost coming on the process of diagnosis). And she called me. She called me because she knew that I would sit and listen and empathize. Because I've been where she is, and I was fortunate enough to have people to pull me out of the hole and to say, "I know that this is going to be hard, " but I will be right there beside you. I was able to pay it forward, and in many ways, while I hope I helped her, being able to help (and asked to help) was one of the biggest gifts I could have been given. I suppose I know what my mentor in Israel was talking about when she told me to "pay it forward" every time I tried to thank her.
Second, over the last couple of weeks, there has been a fundraiser going on on Twitter for an organization called the Sportula. The Sportula provides microgrants to students in the Classics and related fields to pay for their books or other supplies for their education. This is an absolutely amazing organization that helps to fight some of the inherent barriers to the field that can come from coming from a lower or middle-class background. I have been lucky enough to have no problem paying for my education or textbooks in the last 16 years of my education, but I am certainly the exception and not the rule. Unfortunately, due to my chronic illness, I am unable to do as much in-person activism or direct service as I would like, but this is something I can do. The Classics field, especially in college, has given me a home, mentors, and friends, and for that I am incredibly grateful. Donating to this fundraiser is a way in which I can pay it forward (if you'd like to check it out too, here's their GoFundMe and their Patreon).
But then I clicked on Sententia Antiquae's post about the fundraiser, and came across this quote:
"Remember to tell the tale of another's kindness many times
But whatever kind deed you do for others, keep quiet." --Dicta Catonis
This immediately reminded me of the levels of Tzedakah (because of course it did): Tzedakah, which can be roughly translated as "giving" is a concept in Judaism. We are instructed to give as much Tzedakah as we can. Maimonides, a prominent Jewish philosopher from the 12th century established the idea of the eight levels of tzedakah. Most relevant to the above Dicta Catonis quote, however, are two of the top levels. The most obvious connection (and how I ended up writing this blog post), is to the third level of tzedakah, where the donor knows to whom they are giving, but the receiver is unaware of who has given the tzedakah. The top level of tzedakah is essentially what we would refer to as "teach a man to fish": give tzedakah to sustain one or help them to establish themselves. It is very important that this is done in a dignified manner. These last two seem quite relevant to the Sportula, and I wish there was someone doing the same thing in the Jewish world. People who are privileged enough to have money to spare give to the Sportula which then dishes the money out in small amounts to those students who ask them for it. Tzedakah (and the Sportula) or not "charity." They are not charity, they are generosity and solidarity, and this is an important thing to remember.
Even if you don't give a damn about Classics, I encourage you to take stock of the gifts that you have been given and look at how you can pay them forward. Stay up a little later with your friend when they need you, donate a couple of dollars to a cause that helped you, give some advice to a younger member of your community. Don't ask for anything in return. Give what you can where you are, and perhaps all of us together can create a better world.
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