How To Save Your Own Life
October 8th, 2008 by Terence Gillespie
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One of the contributing factors to my brothers’ death was hemachromatosis. He found out he had it a year before he died. Unfortunately, it had already caused damage to his organs.
When he found out it was a hereditary condition he told me to get checked for it. I went to the doctor and had blood tests taken and a painful liver biopsy.
In the follow-up appointment with the doctor to discuss the results the doctor was puzzled. He said I definitely had the condition but was not showing any symptoms.
He asked if I ever donated blood. "Yes, all the time", I said. "I may even be in the gallon club at Cedar Sinai by now."
Then the doctor said, "Well, congratulations. You just saved your own life."
It turns out that since bloodletting is the only way I can get rid of excess iron in the blood donating blood on such a frequent basis had cleared out my blood of excess iron. If the iron wasn’t cleared out of my blood it would have built up to high enough levels to do severe damage to my internal organs. At my age that damage should already be occurring in an advanced stage.
This is How
You save your own life when you contribute directly to mankind for the sake of humanity with no conditions.
Not tithing. Tithing is to God.
Not your work. The work you do to create value for others that leads to money is a wonderful thing. There is no conflict between that work and the direct contribution I’m referring to here. They are separate offerings made for a different purpose.
Not an action you take to get a direct benefit. Although, its almost impossible to do something for others that doesn’t return to you in some way.
Like Putting Quarters in a Strangers Parking Meter
Sometimes I use my spare quarters to load the parking meters of strangers who are about to get a ticket.
It sounds like a cheap thrill, but, I find it thrilling for less obvious reasons:
- I hate getting parking tickets.
- I can’t save myself from getting one, but, I can save someone else.
- Maybe one day someone will do the same for me.
- I like the idea of being nice to someone else before they’re nice to me.
- I know the hassle I’m saving my stranger.
- I know the cost of my quarter to me is less than the hassle saved for my stranger.
- I know my stranger will be in a better mood and their mood is contagious.
- Its possible their contagious mood travels around the invisible world and improves my own.
- I know the state gives out parking tickets to make money, not to encourage people to change their parking habits.
- Denying the state dishonestly taken money gives me a thrill. Cheap for me, but not for them.
- It costs me a quarter. But, it costs the state $25. 100 times ROI in money alone!
- If my ROI is 100 in money what does it return in the better contagious mood of my stranger?
- If my stranger has $25 more than he would what will they be able to do with the money?
- If the state has $25 less what won’t they be able to do that makes me more free?
Every time I do it I think about this list and it makes me smile. Not such a cheap thrill after all, is it?
A Pint of Blood vs. A Quarter in the Meter
How much more powerful is it to donate a pint of blood for ‘my stranger’ than putting a quarter in his meter to save them $25? The prospects are enormous and powerful.
They are so powerful that they may even save someone’s life. Maybe it will save your life. Maybe, maybe, maybe. But, not for me.
It did save my life.
