An anonymous source gives you $25,000 USD, or the equivalent in any currency you want/need...
The Rules:
- You MUST give away the money to someone, and it has to stay given away (meaning the person can't give it back to you, buy you something, or any form of returning it to you).
- You must give the entire lump sum away to the person or small group of people (parents, siblings, etc.) you CANNOT give it away in chunks to different people.
- The person(s) you give it to cannot spend it on something illegal or non-beneficial to them (illegal drugs, sex slaves, 100,000 bananas, etc.).
- The person(s) you give it to ARE aware you received the money from an anonymous source, but ARE NOT aware that you're forced to give it away, or that you could choose anyone you wanted.
- Taxes of any sort are already taken care of, the receiving person(s) gets the full $25,000.
My Questions to You:
- Who would you give it to (first names allowed if you feel like sharing, otherwise just say mom, best friend, dad, step-sister, etc.)?
- What do you think their reaction would be?
- IMPORTANT: Why did you choose this person and what kind of significant impact on their life would it have? What kind of change in their life would it have? What do you think they'd use it for?
My Personal Answer (Also a Format Example):
WHO - I'd give the money to my parents, my mother and father.
REACTION - My dad isn't the type of fella to jump up and down and scream, but he'd certainly be excited, maybe give a whoop and a holler. My mom on the other hand would probably scream so loud the neighbors would hear her, and jump up and down and hug me many times over. She'd probably act like she just won the lottery.
WHY/WHAT - I chose my parents because they've done a lot for me, and they could really use the financial boost. They could pay off both their cars, any credit card bills they owe, and still have lots left over. After paying their dues, they'd probably go on several nice vacations as they've never had much money to go anywhere really nice, and probably save a little money to go to Wendover, Nevada since they love it so much. They'd probably also use some of the money to assist with the small rescue they run for horses, dogs, chickens, and other animals. A financial gift as large as this would have a huge impact on my parents and enable them to enjoy life a little more, and give them the freedom to take the vacations they deserve.
Final Notes: This is somewhat of a social experiment, so please comment with honest answers. I'm genuinely curious to see how my fellow Steemians would spread the love in this kind of situation, and whose life they would choose to impact. Please answer all the questions so responses are interesting and well thought-out!
I would put my son's name on it so he can have something to fall back on in the event he needs it. He is nearly 3 years old and is all but diagnosed with autism (official diagnosis coming in 3 weeks). Our savings, our emergency fund, and all extra monies from our jobs go towards supporting him. It's very possible that he may be similar mentally in 20 years as he is today. As a parent, it's a constant thorn of worry that will never be extracted.
Not to sound shallow, but I have to admit, one of my biggest fears/worries about having children would be having one born with some kind of medical condition. Regardless of what it is, it always has a huge impact on the child's life, how they learn and interact with others, and how you take care of them. I don't blame you for giving it to your son, because you never know what could be coming down the road, even if it's something as simple as a sprained ankle from playing with other kids.
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I hope that the diagnosis goes in your favor. :)
Honestly, at this point his diagnosis is just a formality. Much like being with someone for a decade without marrying them - the only difference is the formality of having a wedding, signing some papers, and putting on some jewelry.
Ah, I see. Well I'm sorry to hear that. The good news is your child will have loveing parents to support him! :D
It's all good. Nothing to be sorry for, really. Best kid I've ever known (probably because I'm a biased daddy lol), and I wouldn't trade how he is for anything. His future challenges are what worry me - but that's no different than any other parent.
I would give half the money to Tiny Homes LA, and the other half to LAonCloud9, two of my favorite charities.
The reaction would be the priceless and countless faces of the forgotten homeless in our country who need our help just to survive and their pets getting food, wagging their tails.
Why, Tiny Homes LA is a great and unique idea where they are building tiny, self sufficient homes for the homeless for very little $, so $12,500 could provide homes for a huge number of people. Also LAonCloud9 helps the homeless take care of their pets. The homeless have so little, yet they still find companions in pets who rely on what little they can give them. LAonCloud9 is helping to provide the pets with food and care, it is one of the most heart warming stories I have ever seen.
LaOnCloud9 => http://www.laoncloud9.org/
TinyHomesLA => http://www.mythpla.org/
Thanks for the heart-warming response! It's great that places like that remember that pets need help sometimes too. :D
Who - A 7 year old friend of mine who wants to study.
Reaction - I dont really think that person out there will exactly know how to react at such amount of money but he will be very happy that he can study from good school for his life.
Why - Recently, after my first payout from steemit Of around 200 $, I helped this guy to study for more than 5 years in government school along with good fund aside. Just for 200 $. He was so happy to wear school uniform and the books that he carried along while I was dropppping him to school. I met this child begging near metro station in the city where my college is, there are other childs who beg and sell flowers but this guy was sitting with a magazine in hand near the stairs of metro, I talked to him, He told me he wants to study as I am a student and not earning anything I couldn't helped him much at that time but since I know the place and home where I stay, He left a really really big impact on my mind and I wanted to help him with full of my heart. And then steemit happened. :)
Final - I belong to middle class family here in India, Amount of 25000 $ is absolutely fascinating, it will better the life of our good life. But what I think is there are people who are in more of worst situations right now, We can spend our lives being a middle class family having three times a meal, but money used for creating the dreams into reality will be priceless.
Amazing response, thanks for commenting! :)
@rossulbricht
I do not know Lyn personally, but after reading her story I am pretty sure it would include a tear or two, followed by an immense wave of productivity.
It would help reduce her son's double life sentence without parole for his role in the 'Silk Road' website. It would provide light, in an hour of darkness, it would resolve support, for her, and her son, which is genuinely needed in her fight against this unjust sentencing of her son to a double life term without parole. She would use it to fight the case, and to reduce the sentence down, to make her son's wish come true...
-- Ross Ulbricht
This is my answer. I think this would be a tremendous use of such funds.
Thanks for the response, that's very thoughtful of you! You were the first to answer, I hope everyone else that answers has a response as thorough as yours! :) I am sure she would appreciate your kindness.
Who would you give it to (first names allowed if you feel like sharing, otherwise just say mom, best friend, dad, step-sister, etc.)?:
I would give it to a friend of mine who has an autistic/artist daughter. So that she could use the money to send her to a really great animation school. The youngster wants to become an anime artist and has a great deal of potential but her parents just cannot afford it.
If you really want to check her out - I just had her post about it here: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@chaeya/parenting-a-necromuffinbutton-my-adventures-with-my-autistic-artistic-daughter
What do you think their reaction would be?
they would freak out of course! who wouldn't!?!
That's so nice of you! Not just to give it to your friend, but thinking of their daughter and her education and possible career too. That would change her life for sure! :)
truly
Well , first I thought about giving it to my wife - that defeats the purpose of not giving it to yourself. (It would keep up having to file bankruptcy)
Then I thought of giving it to one of my sons recovering from TBI - but the other three would think I picked a favorite.
Then I thought about giving it to all 4 sons , but they are young and resilient with a life ahead of them - they will make it just fine.
So lastly , we have a beggar / vagrant / vet on just about every other corner - yeah go Murica - we can spend 18 trillion dollars on fucking military and prisons - but no social programs - because that shit leads to a nanny state.
SO I would give it to one of the 5 closest humans who's lives are in more despair than mine.
I suppose they might smile a bit - if you were homeless and got 25k it might just make your day.
Why - , well it's the same reason I am excited about all the alt-currencies - redistribution of wealth for a 'fair' world. :)
Peace - everyone have a good day.
Thanks for the awesome response! It's so nice of you to want to give it to someone you don't even know! And I'm sure if you gifted a homeless person $25,000, it'd do more than make their day haha, probably their whole year. That's a place to live, a car, and food for months. :)
I would give it to my life partner of fifteen years, Ezequiel
because he has no money at all
(he used to work but hurt his back)
because I know he would feel so much more equal to me
if he did have some funds...
I know he is fearful not having money
and also guilt ridden because he knows
I sacrifice a lot of fun things I could do
travel, clothes, restaurants, no car...
to be able to afford to keep him.
He is 8 years clean and sober from alcohol and cocaine
and I would love to reward him with this money.
I am sure he would cry for relief, for joy, for gratitude
and then we would pray together.
He would buy soccer shoes and join an old guys soccer team!
He might get health insurance, or just save it for health
expenses and live with less fear of ill health, or maybe
buy more organic food and more fruit trees to plant.
Awww, that's so sweet of you! Not only to give him such a gift, but also to be so patient and supportive of him and make those sacrifices! Buying good food to eat is always a good choice to improve your health. :) Thanks for the awesome answer!
There are a number of people I know that I love and admire, that I would love to choose for this gift. However, I am fairly certain they would then give it to their family or children who then might pass it on and on an on. Of course paying it forward could be wonderful, but what's the point of giving if they don't do something nice for themself? So the people who deserve it the most, the loving sacrificial persons are actually those who need it the least. So the thing to do would be to give it to the meanest person I know and shock the hell out of them!
That's certainly a unique idea! You never know, maybe such an immense gift will make a mean person rethink their choices and start being more kind to others. :)
up until about 10 hours ago my answer to this would have been.
WHO..my cousin in law
Reaction..hopefully jumping straight online to book some flights
Reason.. she has been fighting breast cabcer for the last four years and exhausted every treatment in the UK. so has been crowdfunding to raise 50k for pioneering and very succesful treatment in germany. 12 days ago she found out the cancer has spread to her lungs and that without the treatment she only has months to live.
** 10 hours ago she reached her target thanks to a report on the local news. Now I'd ask her to nominate a friend from the support groups she is in to recieve the 25k
That's awesome news! I hope she recovers and the treatment is successful! That's amazing that so many people crowdfunded! :D
I would give it gladly to my local Hospice who cared for my mother Ann Bell during her last days on this earth.
Miss you always Mum.
Sorry to hear about your mum, but it's nice that you'd return something to the hospice! Most people wouldn't think about thanking a group like that, usually they go for family or friends. Very unique. :)
Here in Romania with $25.000 you can buy an apartment! So if I had to choose someone to give away that money, I will have to think about that a lot more time then few minutes. Anyway, I will choose a trustful person that's for sure.
Take your time! :)
I would give it to my mom. She would be really happy. She has had a hard time the last couple of years with knee surgeries.
I've known quite a few people that needed lots of knee surgeries, and they're not fun, nor cheap. Good idea, thanks for commenting! :)
I would give the money to my mother for all she has done for me. She would use it to pay off her mortgage and clear some of her debt. I'd ask her to use it for a holiday or to invest but she's not like that. She's worked her whole life so $25000 to her is a push toward financial freedom. Thanks @volatarius
That's why I chose my parents too, but they are definitely the vacation-taking type. Thanks for your response! :)
Who? My parents.
Their reaction? They'd probably insist on me not giving it to them and spending it on my daughter, which I can totally appreciate. They absolutely love me and my daughter, and they want her to have the best things and opportunities she can.
Why? I owe them more than I think I can ever repay them. I know what their reaction is because they've repeated that response every time I've tried to pay them back, but the fact of the matter is that I owe them. They have gone well out of their way to support me, particularly in instances where I really didn't deserve it. It's not enough to clear my tab to them, but they deserve to have some of that money back. They've invested so much time, effort, and actual currency into me that they deserve some sort of return on it.
Sometimes parents are turds, haha. I know mine have supported me a lot, and continue to, and it doesn't go unappreciated, which is also part of why I chose my parents as well. Thanks for your thoughtful comment! :)
It's nice to dream, I would love to know that it will be used well.
WHO - I'd give the money to my mom.
REACTION - My mom will probably not take the money. She’ll ask where I got it from. She has ways of making me talk since I was a kid, but it will be difficult this time. If, she does take the money, she will probably weep.
WHY/WHAT - After my dad passed away, my mom has been a shining light to me and has recently helped me through pretty rough economic hardships. My mom is kind and generous. She helps her family out and is always dependable. I feel that this will literally pay her back in a big way. She just turned 61 and still works two jobs to pay her rent and bills. This will give my mom a huge break.
That's so nice of you! It seems lots of people here feel like they owe their parents after everything they do for them. It's good to know they aren't forgotten! Thanks for commenting!
Whom- I'd give it to my dad.
Reaction- He'd ask me where I got it from, whether the money is clean or not. Then he'd be happy to have it.
Why? I'd give it to him as a tribute for everything he has done for us. He was raised poor but he still made a vast fortune out of nothing. He understands the value of money more than any of us in our family.
That's great! He sounds like the guy who could be smart with the $25,000 and make it into something larger! :D Thanks for commenting.
Upvoted and following :)
I'd give it to my friend so he could stop working as a waiter and follow his dreams, make a living from something he enjoys.
Thanks for the support and follow! :D I am sure your friend would be very happy!
Buy back all my KLYEMAX Shares so I'm 100% debt free and then use the rest of the money to seed a few more business ideas I have. :)
You have to give it away to someone lol, read the post xD
I would give it to my mom she deserves the world. She worked her ass off to take care of my sister , brother and me.
Whent in debt to get us away from our crazy father who tore the house up drunk every other night. And is still in debt because of it. Never will she own a home or have a good retirement.
(One day I hope to change that)
I think for all she's done and how kind her heart is she at least deserves to have some kind of Financial security. Or to be able to afford a plane ticket to visit me. Since its been 6 years.
That's very kind of you! A lot of people here it seems feel they owe one of their parents or both. It's good to see them being remembered. :) Thanks for your input!